The Way She Acts
by MahNati
Summary: <html><head></head>In which Samus can't help but become bothered whenever she was near a certain newcomer. But it wasn't her fault for that, of course. If anything, it was the goddess who was to blame for making her heart beat that fast. Meanwhile, Lucina has her own share of problems.</html>
1. Chapter 1

Samus was not someone who got embarrassed easily. Anyone that lived in the mansion, if asked, would tell that the bounty huntress was one of the most collected, level-headed and possibly emotionally dead Smashers to ever participate in the Super Smash Bros tournaments. And while the emotionally dead part was incredibly false, as she was not some robot that did not comprehend emotions, contrary to popular belief in early installments, thank you very much; Samus did consider herself very logical e stable.

So she had no idea what was happening to make her face feel so hot under her helmet when Palutena, her teammate for that particular brawl they were having at the moment, begun celebrating their taking down of Lucina's last live and winning the fight.

"Ha, ha, ha!" she let out a loud and playful laugh.

Actually, Samus knew what was wrong with her, and it had to do with her own teammate. The blonde was very grateful that her power suit covered her face, so then she wouldn't need to explain to Palutena why she couldn't stop staring so much at her.

But it wasn't her fault. If anything, the only one to blame was Palutena.

If it wasn't enough that the goddess decided to wear a strapless white dress, one that exposed her entire right tight, as her regular battle attire, Palutena had the brilliant idea of celebrating her successful killings by doing a little dance around her own staff. The staff that she used to hit people was now was serving as a mere pole for her to spin around it.

It wasn't Samus' fault that, by doing that, the goddess' strong tights became much more visible and provocative. It wasn't her fault that the way she bent gave the blonde a rather embarrassing angle of vision of her cleavage (Samus was on top of one of the floating platforms of Magicant stage, while Palutena stood below her). And it definitely wasn't Samus' fault that Palutena seemed to emit a bright aura while doing that stupid little victory dance.

Honestly, what kind of taunt was that? Was that supposed to annoy her enemies or her own teammates? Was she even taking the brawl seriously?

And it wasn't just that. Palutena was fighting in a way that made her look like she was in a goddamn beauty pageant contest. She couldn't stop smiling and jumping around as she countered Lucina's blade, or when she used her Auto-Reticle attack on Robin. All while swaying her hips and moving around in a very showoff manner.

In other words, Samus couldn't focus that well on the battle.

It made the blonde uncomfortable; there was no doubt about it. Especially now, because Samus was also pretty sure that Palutena took a little longer to stop spinning this time. Not that she knew how much time the green haired woman spent doing that taunt.

Her mind came back to reality as the fight announcer declared the game to be over.

**GAME SET!**

* * *

><p>"You two are marvelous fighters," Lucina complimented the two women in front of her.<p>

"Oh, thank you, you're very sweet," Palutena said. She then winked at her blonde teammate. "We sure form a good duo, right, Samus?"

"I guess we do," she answered while avoiding eye contact with her.

Robin, Lucina's battle partner, simply nodded. He was still feeling pretty down for losing his two lives so quickly and wanted to review the recording of their fight at the Recording Room so he could see what he was doing wrong. That room was a blessing for all Smashers who liked to analyze their fighting styles, as it had showed all the recordings of recent brawls for a limited period of time, enough for critiques to be made and such.

He needed to cut that conversation short so he could go on with his way. Lucina could be such a fangirl sometimes.

"Lucina, how about we leave them alone and go see the battle video?" the tactician asked, pulling her by the arm. "We still have one more fight together and we need to plan our strategy better."

Samus raised an eyebrow at what Robin had said. What did he mean with leaving the two alone?

"O-Oh, alright then. Goodbye you two."

Robin and Lucina left the Rest Area, the place where all Smashers who had just finished battling would appear after leaving their stages, and headed towards the Recording Room. Samus didn't feel like reviewing that particularly fight, for reasons that made her feel kind of stupid when she thought seriously about it.

She just didn't want to see Palutena acting like a huge flirt again. It annoyed her to no end when the goddess acted like that. She wanted her to take those fights more seriously, because dammit, it was really distracting having your partner dance around the battlefield and pretending that she was fighting.

She still couldn't understand how the other Smashers could praise Palutena for being a great fighter, when all she did was play and dance around.

Unless she only acted that way when in a brawl with Samus. That would explain why everyone was so blind.

"Well, that was fun," Palutena said with a huge grin. Of course she would think it was fun.

"Why do you think it is fun?"

"I just do. I like the thrill and everything," she said, her voice still annoyingly cheerful. "And it's fun to be out there calling the shots, for a change. Pit always does the fighting for me back in our universe, you know? It's nice to be able go out in the battlefield and test out my strength."

"_You sure don't look like it,_" Samus thought. Instead, she simply said: "If you say so."

She wanted to walk away as soon as possible. Today she was inexplicably bothered by Palutena, even more so than all the other days since the goddess has first arrived in the mansion. Samus couldn't really understand what her problem with Palutena was, but it was there. Every time she had to interact with her, something inside Samus' stomach stirred up and she could feel her face getting flushed. It was the way she talked, walked and laughed that made Samus uncomfortable.

She never had a problem like this with the other girls in the tournament. Hell, she never had any problem like that with any other Smasher, period. It was only Palutena.

Maybe it was because, when Pit couldn't stop babbling about how great his goddess was, Samus had imagined a different picture of her. And while his claiming on how Lady Palutena would be one of the most beautiful people she would ever see in her life was true, she had imagined Palutena to be a calm and serene deity, who always had a plan for everything and could resolve any problem with grace and dignity.

And, above all, she expected her to be modest and serious, not goofy and flirty. Especially flirty. Because, that is how deities should act like, and nothing would convince her otherwise.

Samus was pretty sure that was her problem with Palutena. Mild disappointment.

She just wanted to take off her suit, take a hot shower and call it a day. She also wanted to be alone for a while. Maybe organize her thoughts, polish her guns, kill Wario for stealing her lunch plate yesterday… anything, really, to distract her from today's battle. However, as soon as she prepared to leave, she felt Palutena putting her hand on one of her armor's huge shoulders. What could she want now?

"Hey, I was thinking. We still have time for one more brawl before dinner. You wanna spar with me?" Palutena suggested.

Samus bit her lower lip and tried to come up with an excuse. She really wasn't in the mood for spending more time with Palutena. She didn't feel like talking to her any longer. The last thing she wanted was to make a mistake, get beaten up and receive her stupid dance of victory.

"Sure, why not?" the words escaped from her mouth before she could even process what she was saying.

"Okay, great!" Palutena said in an excited tone. "I'll just check which stages are available now and we'll be good to go!"

For the second time that day, Samus was grateful for wearing a helmet. It was the only thing that stopped her from punching herself in the face. She watched her twirl around and exit the Rest Area in order to make a reservation for whatever stage was vacant for them.

Samus sighed. She really needed that hot shower.

But for some asinine reason she couldn't say no, so she might as well go with it. Besides, she was sure Palutena would make the fight set to only a few couple of minutes, as she was sure that the goddess, despite her perky ways and how she strutted around, was also getting tired. Not that Samus paid a lot of attention to the way Palutena walked, just so she could be clear.

She saw her returning after a few minutes with the slyest grin on her face. This could only spell trouble…

* * *

><p>"Six lives… six lives… six lives…" Samus grumbled.<p>

The brawl was going to be set on Yoshi's Island, with all items turned off, including Smash Balls. Both would have six lives and there was no limited amount of time. Has Palutena lost her damn mind? They would take forever to finish that battle. Of course, Samus could always jump off the stage six times and end that future long battle, but that wouldn't be honorable at all. Especially for a full-time veteran like her.

To top it all, Palutena made the match be between her and Samus in her Zero Suit outfit. If she was expecting to have an easy battle just because she was without her armor and heavy guns, Palutena was in for a big trouble.

Samus would finish that battle with flying colors. The goddess would regret setting up such a ridiculous amount of lives for that fight just so she could annoy the bounty huntress and try to get an easy victory.

**3… 2…**

She saw Palutena come out from a pair of golden door, walking confidently and turning her attention to Samus, who already stood at the other side of the stage. At least, Palutena's blue eyes seemed to show a little bit more seriousness now, which was good.

Though she couldn't tell exactly if it was seriousness. It wasn't her playful expression either, Samus could tell that very well.

**1… GO!**

The two got locked in a heated battle, with Samus using her rocket boots to kick and hit her opponent with its jet flames, while Palutena, in return, continued to counter her kicks and abusing of her Auto-Reticle power in order to make some damage on Samus before parting to the real full blow attacks.

Yet most kicks didn't hit, while most shots missed their target. Samus jumped into the air and dived in with her heels heading straight to Palutena's head. The green haired woman raised her staff, countered her attack and threw her on the floor. Without giving Samus any time to react, she dashed towards her and used her beam light causing her opponent to be sent flying off the stage.

"_Okay, that's it!" _the bounty huntress thought as she spawned from the floating platform that brought her back.

Samus took the opportunity that Palutena was distracted and quickly spun her les, delivering two strong kicks on her and sending the goddess flying away. She heard the other scream in satisfaction.

"Attacking me from behind, while I was distracted?" Palutena teased. She jumped off from the platform. "That's not very honorable of you."

"Revenge for setting up this ridiculous amount of lives," Samus answered, reading her paralyzer gun.

"Well, if you didn't like the way I've set up this battle, then maybe you should have come with me and told me what you wanted to do, don't you think?" she said. "Reflect!"

A wall of light appeared right in front of her and reflected the electric shot that escaped from the blonde's gun. Samus quickly dodged it before she was hit by her own attack. "Oh, don't give me that excuse! Nobody sets up six lives for a brawl that's not supposed to take very long," she frowned. "Especially not after coming back from another one a few minutes ago."

"I don't know why you are so angry about this," Palutena dashed with her shield positioned in front of her, ready to ram on Samus.

"You know exactly why I'm angry!" she spat while dodging the shield by rolling on the ground.

"No, not really…"

"You do this just so you can provoke me."

Palutena stopped whatever she was doing and looked at Samus with an amused, yet at the same time, baffled expression. Where on Skyworld had Samus ever come to that conclusion?

Samus got up and noticed the goddess trying to decide what she should be feeling with that statement. There, she had finally said. Wasn't she right, in the end? Palutena was doing that just so she could get on her nerves. Ever since she has arrived, Palutena had been doing nothing but doing those passive-aggressive gestures so she could test the other's patience.

She kept asking her to fight her, kept shooting her the weirdest glares when they crossed each other's ways when walking around the Smash Mansion (which Samus made the favor of returning them with them same intensity) and just all around treated her differently from the other Smashers when she talked to her.

And that staff dance. The staff dance was also important. She was pretty sure that Palutena never did that, except when she was standing on the same stage with the blonde. Samus' heart started to beat faster and her face started to blush as the image of Palutena dancing came to her mind again…

Out of second-hand embarrassment for her, of course.

"Well, I'm not doing this to irritate you," she answered honestly. "If anything, I just set up these six lives because I wanted to spend more time with you."

"Wait, what?" that had taken Samus aback more than necessary.

"I wanted to spend more time with you," Palutena repeated and then shrugged her shoulders. "We barely battled together, let alone against each other."

"We have fought together for about four times! Five, counting this one," Samus corrected her. She could feel her adrenaline slowly dimming out. "That is a lot more than the amount of times I have faced other people."

"Four times is nothing when most of them were just a 2 minute free-for-all battle."

"Makes sense, I suppose," the blonde muttered. "But why do you want to battle me that much?"

"Reasons."

"Reasons?"

"Reasons."

And there she was with that playful smile again. Now that both were calm, it seemed like forever until one of them even remembered that they were having a brawl to begin with. Samus shifted her weight from where she stood, a little awkward to ask if they should continue their fight, because she was feeling pretty tired and wanted to go to her room as soon as possible. Honestly, Palutena was acting so weird, even for her standards. If she was not out there to get on Samus' wrong side then what could she want?

"I didn't even want to be here," the blonde mumbled.

Palutena tilted her head to the side, still holding on to that smile. "Then why did you accept my invitation?" she asked.

"I don't know. I actually wanted to stay away from you," she let out a nervous chuckle. "Dammit, Palutena, you really are messing up with my head."

"Heh, I know. It's part of my job, to mess up with people," she said in a humorous tone.

"So you do admit you were out there to annoy me?"

"I'm not that type of person, so no," Palutena then went silent for a few seconds, before continuing: "Hold on, you mean that this entire time you were mad at me because you thought I was annoying? Why?"

Samus bit her lower lip, now thinking about what Palutena asked. How should she say it without sounding like an immature child? She was so certain about how she felt about Palutena and why. Now that the green haired woman asked, she couldn't but feel that everything she thought about her was childish and irrational.

She had to try, tough. She was a level-headed and mature woman after all.

"It's just the way you acted around me, you know? Especially in today's battle…"

"What about today's battle?"

Samus was not very good at sorting out her feelings; the blonde just had that amazing realization now. If she decided to punch herself in the face, there was no helmet to protect her from her own fist.

"I-It's just… why do you have to do that?"

"That what?"

"…Dance?"

"What dance?" an amused smile formed on the corner Palutena's full lips.

"That dance. You know," she pointed at her staff. "Around that pole… I mean, weapon."

"You mean this one?"

That was it, Palutena was officially dead. There she went again with that horrible taunting. She raised her bare leg up in the air and spun around her staff, this time doing it as slowly as possible and bending as much as she could, while laughing at Samus' reddened face. If Samus wanted any reason to go back to their match, that moment was now.

Palutena stopped as soon as she saw the blonde tighten her grip on her gun. "Hey, come on now. I was just joking," she giggled. "I won't do it anymore if you don't want to, I promise."

"W-Why do you do this?!" Samus exclaimed, her face almost catching fire.

"Because it's fun to see you blush that hard," her tone of voice showed clearly that she was enjoying every single second of that moment.

"So you think it's funny, uh?"

"Nah, I think it's cute."

"Excuse me?"

Samus was surprised at how much Palutena was caught off guard by what she, herself, had said. It sounded like she didn't want that little bit of information to escape.

"I… think it's cute when you blush like this," Palutena looked away, still wearing that smile. Now it was her turn to have her cheeks turn pink. "And… that's the reason why I made you wear you Zero Suit for this battle. That armor of yours covered everything; I couldn't see your face."

Samus suddenly became aware of how the goddess looked at her face and at her entire body. With her heart beating as fast and as loud as a drummer, she instinctively hugged herself, not sure about what to make out of the situation.

"Is that so?" was all she could say.

She was sure that, if any other Smasher were to act the way Palutena was acting right now, Samus would probably scold him or her, at best. At worst, she would probably punch him or her in the face, depending on their age. One of the reasons why nobody ever wanted to get that close to her was because she almost always had that cold glare on her face.

Also because, when you wear an orange metal suit twice your size, it is pretty hard to not feel intimidated. Yet, Palutena seemed to not care about any of that. She managed to break Samus' cold stare so easily, it was ridiculous.

"Samus…" Palutena started, her voice suddenly serious.

The bounty huntress noticed that, despite the other's serious tone, her cheeks were still very red. Samus had to admit it was kind of nice to see that she wasn't the only one there blushing.

Not to mention she looked kind of cute that way…

"_Wait, what?"_

"I said I wanted to battle you because I wanted to spend more time with you, and that's very true," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But it was also an excuse for me to try out something."

Before Samus could react, Palutena closed the gap between the two of them. She gently put her hands on the blonde's cheeks and pulled the bounty huntress into a light kiss. It was sweet, yet cautious at first, as if Palutena was unsure if she should proceed or break apart. Samus' brain was screaming for her to end that moment right now.

Not that she would actually listen to it. That moment just felt too right for her to give any attention to reason. For once, she would rather give in to her emotions.

Samus, with closed eyes, wrapped her arms around the goddess' bare shoulders and let her slightly lean over her, returning the kiss. She could still feel her face burning up as Palutena wrapped her arms around her waist and deepened the kiss between the two, getting more and more excited as the seconds passed by.

She could feel the other's tongue gently licking her lips, making her instinctively open her mouth and let the other woman in. Samus let out a soft moan as the sweet, numbing sensation took over her entire body as the goddess' tongue continued to play around with her mouth. It was as if the rest of the world had simply disappeared and only the two of them were still there.

It was only when Samus could feel Palutena's hand slowly moving downwards that she decided break them apart. Both were panting lightly, and Samus could see the look of hurt from Palutena's face because of that.

"Why did you do that? Now that things were getting interesting," Palutena pouted.

"That's exactly what worries me," Samus said between her breathing. "Don't forget that we still are in the middle of a brawl."

"Samus, you can be so boring sometimes," the green haired deity said sticking her tongue out. "You're lucky you're so cute."

Samus rolled her eyes at how childish Palutena was being. So this was how Pit's beloved Goddess of Light behaved when she was alone.

"You'll live," she said. "Do you always act like that around your loyal subjects?"

"Only around pretty girls that I just so happen to like a lot," Palutena teased playfully.

The two separated from each other, both looking at every possible direction, except towards their partner. What else could Samus say after something like that happened?

"So I guess brawl's over," said Palutena, breaking the silence between them.

"I don't think there was one to begin with," Samus commented. "You know, considering this was all part of an evil plan of yours to steal a kiss from me."

"Hey, I was being sincere about wanting to spend more time with you," she grinned. Surprisingly, all the annoyance Samus felt with that little gesture of hers seemed to have disappeared.

"Want to hang out after dinner?" she asked.

"I'm feeling a bit tired. I still need to take a shower and everything," Samus said. She saw the goddess' grin fade into a sad expression. "But… we could hang out tomorrow, after breakfast, if you want. I'm completely free."

"Or we could just hang out together in your shower," she said wrapping an arm around her waist.

"PALUTENA!" Samus quickly pushed her arm away.

"Got'cha," Palutena winked at her.

Honestly, the goddess could be such a tease sometimes. Despite all of that, a light smile formed on the corner of Samus' thin lips.

* * *

><p>Robin and Lucina watched at the scene on the screen ahead of them with their mouths agape. Thanks to Robin's terrible habit of analyzing every single detail from their fighting videos, both he and Lucina ended up staying inside the Recording Room way longer than necessary.<p>

And they were planning on checking up only their battle video. They really were. Especially Lucina, since she was getting tired of replaying their battle over and over again.

Yet, when they saw that another video has been uploaded to one of the room's various computer screens, one of Palutena and Samus (their last opponents) fighting nonetheless, Robin's curiosity spoke a little bit too louder. He just wanted to see how the two were doing, and even encouraged Lucina to do the same, because it was always good to know more about your future rivals.

The last thing they expected to do was to… invade their privacy.

Yeah.

"But they are both girls," Lucina commented.

"Wow, you know nothing, you innocent," said someone from behind them.

They two jumped at the sudden voice and turned their heads around, only to find Dark Pit standing behind them with crossed arms. He had a very smug smile on his face and Lucina was sure it was directed at neither her nor Robin.

"Where did you come from?" Robin asked, trying to find the button to close the video.

"Just came back from a brawl with Greninja and decided to see my victory again," he answered with shrug of his shoulders.

"We were doing the same."

"Doesn't look like it."

"It was an accident, we swear!" Lucina pleaded. "I didn't even know girls could do that!"

"Lucina, no, you're only making things worse!" Robin quickly reprimanded her.

Dark Pit snorted at that statement and decided to leave the two very embarrassed sword users alone. He waved his hand at them as he turned around and left the room, not even bothering in watching his battle video.

"_Pit will flip his shit,_" the dark angel thought in delight.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so, in my defense, this is the first time I ever write fluff. I'm really not used to this. But, since there's absolutely nothing about SamusPalutena out there, I needed to take matters in my own hands.**

**And to those thinking "wow, this is such a crack ship", just remember that this is a fic for a fighting crossover series. Anything goes.**

**At least, Metroid and Kid Icarus have the excuse of originally being sister series.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I've decided to expand this little Samus/Palutena one-shot I've written a few weeks ago. I was just thinking about how their relationship would work out after what happened and decided to give it a shot at exploring it. You know, considering that Palutena is a goddess and Samus being a human and all of that good stuff. I plan on keeping this story short and sweet. Well, mostly short, as I'm not sure about the sweet part.**

**Meanwhile, Lucina goes on her own little adventure.**

* * *

><p>Palutena strolled through the mansion hall with possibly one of the biggest grins that she had ever had in her extended life span on her face. The aura that she emitted was bright enough to possibly blind temporarily whoever passed by and looked directly at her.<p>

And it was not because she was the Goddess of Light.

The reason behind the torrent of happiness and good mood was none other than a certain bounty huntress that had caught the goddess' interest, when she had first arrived at the Smash Mansion, a few weeks ago: Samus Aran. More specifically, she was happy about how her feelings were returned by said bounty huntress.

Palutena still couldn't believe how weeks of subtle flirting and hinting had actually paid off. She still couldn't grasp the fact that, yes, Samus did like her back and, yes, she was as good of a kisser as Palutena had imagined. That last part was very important to her.

In a couple of hours she would meet Samus at the entrance hall of the mansion so they could go hang out at the center of the city near the Smash Mansion. Maybe go to a café. Or see if there were any good movies in the theaters. Maybe make out for a little while, that would be great.

But first, she needed to check how everything was doing back in her home world. After all, before being a Smasher, Palutena was a goddess. As such, she had a duty of helping keep the balance of her world and protect humanity at all costs. She couldn't leave that responsibility aside just because she was participating in an inter-dimensional fighting tournament.

Because of this, Palutena had the privilege of being able to contact and/or return to her home world at any time she wanted, which was something she did quite a lot. Most of the times she just talked to her centurions counselors from her bedroom, but there were times that it was required for her to return and deal with problems personally. Mainly when it involved negotiating with Viridi, the Goddess of Nature, to stop her misanthropic attitudes and to quit trying to kill humans on a large scale.

On her way to her bedroom, she found Pit walking down the stairs alongside Dark Pit, who seemed to be uninterested in hearing about his light counterpart's talk about some bizarre encounter he had with an Eggplant Wizard. He stopped everything he was doing once he spotted his goddess walking towards them.

"Oh, Lady Palutena," Pit greeted with a wave of his hand. Dark Pit let out a nod, but said nothing.

"Hello, Pit, Dark Pit," Palutena greeted back.

"Where are you going?"

"Just going to check up on things back in Skyworld and see how the humans are doing. Daily stuff, you know?"

"Oh, that's… great," Pit's voice hesitated for a while, but Palutena paid no attention to it.

"Why don't you come with me? I'm sure the centurions would be glad to hear from the captain of their army after such a long time away," the goddess suggested.

"W-What? But Master Hand wouldn't like it," the angel said. "He wants fighters to have minimum contact with their home worlds so they can focus on their fights and…"

"It's just this once," Palutena rolled her eyes. "After all, what is an army without their captain?"

"Still an army," Dark Pit remarked.

"Very cute, _Pittoo_," she made sure to put emphasis on the nickname, so she could see the dark angel squirm in his place.

Pit stopped to think for about a couple of seconds before nodding. "Oh, alright. I want to see if the centurions are doing well without me, anyway," he said. "Pittoo, you coming?"

"You just never learn, do you?" Dark Pit sighed. "No, I'm not. I don't have business with Skyworld. Have fun."

Dark Pit hurriedly left the two alone, making Palutena raise some suspicion at how fast he descended the stairs, instead of walking in a laid back manner like he usually did. She still said nothing. Both her and Pit then went to her room, where they could contact the people back at home in peace. Pit decided to sit on Palutena's bed, while she turned on the big, flat screen glued to one of the room's walls.

It would take a while to get some signal, though. Having to contact a whole different universe from your bedroom wasn't usually that easy.

Pit fiddled with his fingers as he wondered how he would ask his goddess, who just stared at the screen full of static, the very important question he had in mind. But again, Pit wasn't known for being subtle or delicate, so he gave up and asked it bluntly: "Lady Palutena, are you and Samus going out?"

"Well, yeah, we're going out today to the central district of the city and…"

"No, I mean, are you and Samus dating?"

There was a crushing silence between the two, one that made Pit immediately regret ever asking about his goddess' personal affairs. He heard her sigh and saw her turn around in order to face him better.

"Why are you asking this?"

"I've heard from Pittoo that he saw you two kiss on the Yoshi's Island stage," he confessed. "Is that true, Lady Palutena?"

Dark Pit must have seen the recording of their "battle" a little before they had the opportunity to delete the damn thing. "Nosy little pest," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she said curtly. "But, yeah, it's true. We're not dating, though. It was only one innocent kiss."

"Oh, I thought you were. You know, by the way that Pittoo described what was going on when he saw…"

"Don't take everything he says seriously," Palutena quickly cut him off.

The screen still showed that damn static. Today's signal was especially terrible, which was bad for Palutena, because she really wanted to cut that conversation short. Also because she had a duty, but mostly because she didn't feel like discussing her private life with Pit.

"But you're going out with her today, right?" he asked cautiously.

"Usually you go out with people, if you want to know them better."

"That's… really great," he forced a smile.

"Pit, why don't you tell me already what's in your mind?" Palutena asked tiredly. She could swear she heard one of the centurions' voices over the screen, but there was still static. Damn it.

"Well, Lady Palutena, I'm happy that you like Samus and that she likes you back, really!" he said. "Samus is very nice and pretty and all of that stuff! I see how Captain Falcon and the Wii Fit Trainer keep looking at her funny, so I'd rather see her with you over them."

"Which trainer are we talking about?"

"Both."

Palutena let out a sympathetic smile at the brunette angel. She knew how much Pit loved Samus as some kind of big sister he never had and how the two seemed to share a strong bond since the last tournament. Samus was Pit's first friend when he was all alone in the Smash Mansion and there was an instant connection between them right of the start, maybe because both were so lonely, having no one from their respective universes to talk to.

Or maybe because of some other otherworldly reason. That was one of the greatest mysteries the goddess could never solve. They just clicked. There was absolutely no explanation. So it was no surprise to her that he wanted only the best for his not-exactly-sister.

"But… do you think it will work out between you two?"

She blinked several times, processing what the angel had just said. That was it? That was why he was so insecure?

"Oh, Pit, it's nothing serious," she let out a spirited laugh. "We're not planning on becoming lovers. We're just friends."

"Friends who kiss each other?"

"Exactly," she nodded. She then started hitting the screen with such brutality that made the angel wince. "Work, you piece of trash!"

Pit didn't press the issue any further. He trusted that his goddess had a better judgment than him. Lady Palutena was wise and understood others better, anyway.

The screen had finally begun showing some signal.

* * *

><p>If someone was to say to Samus that, right now, she would be spending the evening with a goddess from another universe, sipping in some coffee and chatting like they were old friends, she would probably think said person would be out of his or her mind. But life was a funny little thing. Here she was having coffee with a goddess from another universe like that was the most normal thing in the world. This wasn't saying much, considering that a normal day to the bounty huntress was running around space kicking space pirate's butt.<p>

Speaking of space pirates…

"So you have space pirates in your universe too?" Samus asked intrigued.

"Yup! What a funny coincidence, uh?" the green haired woman smiled. "Don't tell me you also have a space kraken?"

"No, we don't. But I have to deal with one giant flying lizard that won't leave me alone," her tone of voice suddenly sounded bitter. "He really is a pain to deal with…"

Palutena looked at her with curious eyes, as if expecting her to finish what she was about to say. When she realized that Samus had accidentally gone into a sensitive territory, she quickly decided to change the subject, much to the other's relief. She started asking about Samus' life on past tournaments and such.

Conversation came, conversation went, and the two left the coffee shop after a couple of hours.

The streets of the center plaza were surprisingly calm and empty in comparison to the weekends. It was a Monday evening, so it shouldn't come to a surprise to them. Samus was especially grateful, as she wasn't a big fan of crowds. Walking around in a big crowd could be very tiring, especially if you were a well-known fighter with a lot of needy fans at the same area you're in. They were accosted only once, and even then it took a while for the Mii to realize it was really the two Smashers she admired. She only realized it was them because, even though both were wearing very casual clothing, Palutena still had that aura of brilliance that caught quite the attention from people passing by.

Samus felt the other's hand trying to grab hers, but quickly pulled away from her. "Palutena, not here," she mumbled.

"Well, excuuuuuse me, princess," she said, faking an offended tone of voice. "Are you afraid that people might stare?"

"Yes," she answered. "Not afraid, just really uncomfortable."

Samus didn't say anything after that. In truth, she was just trying to organize her thoughts about everything that was happening between them. She wouldn't deny that she really did enjoy the kiss that they shared and how much she was enjoying her company. Not to mention that Palutena was drop dead gorgeous. Even when she took away more than half of her accessories and wore a simple outfit consisting of a white tank top and a long skirt, she still looked way too beautiful for a normal human.

But it was all too soon to tell wherever she liked her, or if she was just infatuated.

Palutena wasn't helping at all, as she, even now, continued with that playful and flirty attitude of hers. Except now she was acting a lot more straightforward when it came to teasing her, all while trying to grab her hand or getting too close for comfort. She could swear Palutena has almost kissed her one time back at the coffee shop, but she could be wrong. Anyway, she just pulled her head away.

And her overly rational side was screaming a little bit too much for her tastes. Samus just wanted to spend a quiet evening without her thoughts ruining everything. In the midst of her busy mind she heard Palutena ask if she wanted to go to the cinema, but refused the offer and explained that there really wasn't anything interesting passing, completely oblivious to Palutena's "that's-all-the-more-reason-for-us-to-go" face.

After walking around and looking at some shops, the two decided to go back to the Smash Mansion. Palutena still wanted to go to the cinema, but she wouldn't force Samus into anything. Even though it was an excellent idea and the blonde was a huge party pooper. Horrible movies were the best ones to watch together, especially when you were as thirsty as her. If you wanted an engaging and exciting film, that will take all your attention from other very important stuff, then just go watch it alone.

They took a bus back to the mansion and have arrived just before the sun was completely set. The whole way back it seemed like Palutena was doing more of the talking, while Samus silently listened to her, only saying a few words every once in a while.

Palutena couldn't understand what was going on her crush's mind, which was both an intriguing and frustrating thing for someone with an all-seeing, all-understanding eye. They were doing so well at the beginning. What could have happened for her to suddenly be this quiet? Was it because she tried to hold hands with her? Because, if that was the case, Palutena would gladly remind her that, as far as she knew, a kiss on the lips was something way more intimate than holding hands and Samus didn't seem to show any problem back then.

Maybe the blonde just needed to some time alone. She could understand that, at least.

They entered the mansion and reached the stairs that lead up to the second floor, where the rooms of the veterans from the first and Melee tournaments slept. On the third floor were the rooms for the Brawl veterans and current newcomers.

"Well, I guess that's it," the goddess said once they've reached Samus' room door. "I'll see you later, Samus. 'Till dinner!"

And Palutena left just like that. Samus stood there in front of her door looking at her leave in utter confusion. She was kind of expecting for Palutena's goodbye to, at least, be little… less dry? No trying to hold hands or anything sappy like that? What happened?

"I'll talk to her later," she mumbled and entered her room.

* * *

><p>A little after dinner, Samus still couldn't locate the goddess. For some reason, she didn't seat near her, nor didn't even try to talk to her ever since she left Samus at her bedroom's door.<p>

It didn't even cross her mind that she might be busy with godly stuff.

Samus decided to search for her at the TV Room, which, despite its name, it was a place that served as a general recreation room for the Smashers. There were about four flat screen TVs, some round game tables for board and card games, some gaming consoles and even a mini-bar (since almost all young Smashers spend a lot of time there, most adults refrained from getting drunk… most of the times). A lot of fighters went there after dinner, usually because nobody wanted to spar during food digestion.

Unfortunately, it seemed Palutena wasn't there either. Smashers upon Smashers having a good time, yet no sign of the one she had been searching for. She was ready to leave, when she spotted a certain angel that might have the answer for her playing Uno with his dark twin, Lucina, both Robins and King DeDeDe.

"And I win again!" exclaimed the self-proclaimed king as he put down his last card. "Bow down to yer king, ya bunch of losers."

"Too bad you can't say this for your fighting record," Dark Pit snickered. He wasn't going to let DeDeDe get away with that smug grin on his face like that.

"Buddy, if you keep doing these smartass comments, I'm gonna…"

"Ah, Pit, you're exactly the person I've been looking for!" Samus said, waving her hand at the angel and avoiding the confrontation between Dark Pit and DeDeDe.

The group stopped everything they were doing in order to face the newcomer. "Hey, Samus! What's up?" Pit asked with a thankful expression on his eyes.

"I need to talk to you," she looked to the exit behind her. "In private."

"Oh, about what?" Pit asked curiously.

"About Palutena."

Lucina suddenly stiffened up from where she was seated, while Dark Pit let out the biggest unintentional smirk of his short life. Both Robins stared at Lucina with identical questioning brown eyes. DeDeDe looked at the people at the table around him, completely locked out of the silent understanding of the situation. Pit got up immediately and followed Samus outside the room.

"Lucina, are you alright?" Rob asked. Whenever both Robins were together, male Robin used the nickname "Rob" so he could differentiate from his female counterpart from a parallel universe. It was a good thing he very rarely interacted with the resident robot, R.O.B, or else, things would get complicated for both.

"What? Oh, yes. Yes, I am," she answered, her voice contradicting her statement.

"Alright, game's over," Robin announced as she put her cards down. "DeDeDe is the winner. Lucina, Rob, let's go… do something."

"Wait, it's over already?" the penguin asked. "Where are you going? We still need to go for round three!"

Rob took that as a cue to (gently) force Lucina to get up so both him and Robin could (gently) drag her to out of the TV Room by both. Despite her protests, Lucina ended up going with them (not by force), leaving a baffled King DeDeDe and an apathetic Dark Pit behind.

Once they've reached they've reached the living room, the two white-haired tacticians let go of the reluctant blue-clad girl. Lucina wanted to say that nothing was wrong, that she was fine, but she wasn't a good liar. Her voice always gave her away, especially under pressure, so it took one demanding glare from the Robins for her to spill the beans.

"I guess… I'm still thinking about yesterday," she confessed.

"Yesterday?" Robin questioned.

"You mean about what you saw in the Recording Room?"

"Yes."

"Wait, what happened in the Recording Room?" Robin continued, now highly curious. "Did you two kiss or something? Is that why Lucina's so red?"

"W-What? Oh, no, no! We didn't…" Lucina denied, pointing at both herself and Robin. "I mean, there was a kiss, but it wasn't us. I mean…"

"Lucina's confused about why Palutena and Samus kissed," Rob simply told his counterpart.

At that point, Robin really tried to not laugh at her possible future daughter/daughter-in-law's face, but after hearing that, it was hard not to. She laughed so hard that she needed to clutch her ribs, for she feared they might pop out. That was the reason why she was so uncomfortable? Lucina was so naïve about romances, it was amazing. "Oh, Lucina, there is no problem with that," the white-haired girl snorted. "It is perfectly normal. Most of the times we can't decide who we like, no matter what gender they are."

"Oh, it's really not that uncommon?" Lucina asked.

"Not at all. People just keep it quiet, usually."

"I'm surprised you are taking this lightly."

"Well, you know," Robin said while avoiding eye contact with Lucina. "You get to talk to people and learn a lot of different things about these people, and sometimes…"

"Especially if this person is Tharja," Rob teased.

"You're one to talk! I know all about your… history with Chrom," she said with a sly grin.

"Excuse me?" Lucina shot daggers with her eyes at the now embarrassed Rob. "What was that about my father?"

"Nothing!" Rob protested. "ANYWAY, I hope that you understood there's nothing wrong with kissing and having a relationship with someone of the same gender. Let's go do something else and not speak of this again!"

Lucina watched the mages leave, the two playfully bickering with each other, while her own mind still focused on one thing only. One thing that she felt her cheeks and ears burning up from embarrassment just by admitting it quietly to herself.

Darn it, she was curious!

* * *

><p><strong>I hope I'm not making the Fire Emblem characters too OOC. I have never played Awakening, but I've read some stuff about it, mostly about Robin and Lucina's personalities and other characters they have interacted with. As for Robin not being that uncomfortable with the idea of same-sex relationships, I mostly imagine that for someone who has the possibility to marry just about anyone (even if it's just of the opposite sex), then they probably would have a more open mind.<strong>

**At first, I imagined that Lucina would be one of those "I'm not against it, just keep it away from me" type of people. But it's not like she grew up hearing it was wrong anyway, so I imagine she would just be really confused, instead of being irked out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to thank you guys for all the reviews! I'm really glad that you guys are liking this fic as much as I'm enjoying writing about this (very) odd couple!**

* * *

><p>"And she left you just like that?" Pit asked once Samus finished telling her story.<p>

"Just like that," Samus repeated.

"That's weird. Lady Palutena seemed so happy that she was getting to go out with you," he put a hand on his chin, trying to figure it out what was going on between the two. "Are you sure nothing has happened when you two were out?"

"Not that I remember. I mean, we didn't have a fight, nor did we have any sort of argument."

"Then I have no idea what's going on," Pit sighed. "Why don't you go ask her?"

"I was going to, but I can't find her anywhere."

"Have you tried her room?"

…

She didn't. She had searched everywhere, except in the most obvious place in that whole mansion: Palutena's room. "Of course! It's so obvious!" she exclaimed. "Anyway, thanks for your help, Pit."

"It was nothing."

Samus turned around and prepared to leave, but Pit stopped her midway with one single question: "Why are you so upset?" his voice sounded sincere in his confusion.

"What?"

"I mean, she told me that you two are friends, right?" he continued. "Maybe you're reading way too much into this. I'm sure she's not mad or upset at you. Try to have more faith in her."

"She said we were just… friends?" Samus repeated, blinking her eyes several times.

Pit could tell he did strike a nerve, however it was too late to go back on his statement. He just wanted to leave that tension between the two women without any injuries. "That's what Lady Palutena told me," he said taking three subtle steps back. Samus didn't look like she was thinking about Lady Palutena as just friends. That couldn't be good.

Samus took a deep breath and exhaled with such strength that would make Kirby jealous. Muttering a "thank you", she left the awkward angel behind and headed upstairs, all the way to the third floor, where Palutena's room was located.

Pit watched her leave both in relief and apprehension. Samus seemed genuinely upset over something so trivial. He wanted to know better what was going on between the two, but knew that, if he ever butted in their situation and something happened, he would be in the middle of the crossfire.

He just hoped for the best.

* * *

><p>It took only two knocks on the door for Samus to hear the person behind it unlock it. She was met by Palutena wearing a silky night gown, her blue eyes surprised at seeing Samus at her bedroom door. She motioned for her to enter and Samus stormed in, taking the goddess by surprise at how mad she looked right now.<p>

"So you have been talking to Pit about us, uh?" the blonde questioned, cutting right to the chase.

"Yeah, I did," Palutena shrugged her shoulders. "He asked first, and I usually don't hide anything from him. I trust Pit with my life, if you couldn't already tell."

"Why would he ask that?"

"Dark Pit saw us on Yoshi's Island and decided to mess with Pit by telling this to him."

"Nosy little pest," she grumbled.

"He is, indeed."

"And you told Pit we were just friends," Samus said dryly.

"Aren't we?" the goddess cocked her head to the side. If they weren't friends, what were they, then?

"Palutena, friends don't go around flirting with each other and trying to steal a kiss from them all the time!"

Palutena looked at her in amusement. As far as she knew, friends kind of did that. At least, that was how it was between the gods. And some humans. She was pretty sure she has seen humans who were friends with each other acting like that too. She should have taken in consideration that Samus was from a different background. That must be the typical moral and behavior conduct from the bounty huntress' home universe.

A minor mistake that she wouldn't repeat again.

"Then what are we?"

"I… don't know," she said, now avoiding eye contact. "But I don't want to be just friends. Not with you acting like this. If you want my friendship, then start acting like a normal friend. If not, then…"

"Then…?"

Samus was at loss of words. Then what? Start avoiding her? No, she didn't want to avoid Palutena for the rest of the tournament. It would be really difficult to do so, because not only both of them lived under the same roof, but also because Samus didn't want to. Despite how she thought Palutena should act a little more seriously (at least around her), she really did enjoy spending time with her. Yes, she was a huge tease, but Samus would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that her heart beat faster whenever she was close.

She looked at Palutena once more, the deity's face showing confusing and uncertainty. That playful air and confident smirk were nowhere to be found, as if she was also trying to figure it out what Samus wanted from her.

If they weren't friends, then what were they?

"You've got to be kidding me," Samus muttered under her breath.

"Samus, I really don't…"

Samus's lips met with hers, making Palutena shut up instantly. It was so sudden and spontaneous from the bounty huntress' part that she couldn't help but like it the roughness behind that kiss. That's what she had been wanting from Samus since the beginning, for crying out loud! But before she could do anything else she felt the other abruptly break apart. Palutena stood in her place in shock, trying to process those couple of seconds in her mind.

What just happened?

"You like it?" Samus asked, her face now blushing hard.

"Umm… Yes?" she let out a nervous laugh. Since when did she let a mortal do something like this to her? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Palutena sure wasn't used to this situation; it was pretty humorous and rather exciting.

"There are more from where this came from," she said raising her finger. "Unless you don't start taking our relationship seriously! If not, you bet this was the last time my tongue ever entered your mouth, you hear me? No friends with benefits business."

Her tongue didn't even get close to her lips, but those were details Palutena wouldn't bother pointing out to Samus. Her face looked so cute blushing like that. "Oh, alright. I got it," she said wrapping her arms around her shoulders, her mouth inches away from the other. "And here I thought that you just wanted some time alone."

"Is that why you avoided me at dinner and after that?"

"Mhm…" she closed her eyes. "Well, also because I had some business to attend to with the Centurions. Nothing major, though, don't worry"

Now it was Palutena who took the initiative and enveloped Samus in a passionate kiss. This time there would be no interruptions. A big grin appeared on her lips as she felt her friend… no, lover, return her feelings. She slowly guided her to her bed in-between the excited kisses they shared and made the two tumble on top of it, with Palutena on top of her. At that point, the green haired deity was half-expecting to be pushed away by Samus, but a pleasant surprise took over her as the blonde pulled her head closer into a hungry and needy kiss, making Palutena giggle in the process.

"Hey, I didn't know this rough side of yours," she teased.

"You're the one that got us in this position and I'm the rough one?" Samus answered, panting heavily.

"I guess you have a point," she said, placing a few light kisses on her neck. "But seriously, I thought you wanted some time alone."

"Well, I guess even you can be wrong every once in a while," a smirk formed on the corner of her lips.

"A goddess is never wrong, Samus. She just gets ahead of herself sometimes."

* * *

><p>Okay, so quietly admitting it to herself was the easy part, Lucina had no doubt about that. Maybe she wanted to know more about other types of relationships, maybe that little bit of information Robin said had served as a Pandora's box to a new world full of possibilities. What she thought could be admiration for certain girl Smashers could very well be a crush that she had never noticed.<p>

Or… not. It could very well just be admiration.

Lucina was many things: a marvelous swordswoman, a loveable daughter and a reliable comrade; but, above all, she was a complete dork. When it came to social and romantic interactions, she was one of the most clueless people in the universe.

She was curious, but also very embarrassed to ask more questions to Robin. Was it possible to only like someone from the same gender? Did it matter? If so, why did it matter? Did it happen to everyone, or there were exceptions? She had so many questions, but was not feeling like going after them. The first reason was because she didn't want to get laughed at by Robin again. The second, and most important, was that she didn't want to go around the mansion kissing people at random in order to find out. That was undignified and she would not subject herself to such behavior.

So really, all she could do was ignore that curiosity. She could live without the answers. She could…

"Lucina, dear, are you alright?" she heard a high pitched, concerned voice ask her from behind.

The swordswoman squealed and quickly turned around, only to find princess Peach staring at her as if she was starting to get crazy. She was sporting her parasol and twirled it on her hand as the two continued to stare into each for possibly the most awkward couple of seconds Lucina had to go through in a long time.

"Princess Peach, you startled me," Lucina said with a sigh. "Please don't do this again."

The blonde royal let out a giggle. "Well, it isn't my fault that you were pacing back and forth here in the garden, now is it?" she said cheerfully. "I had to stop you, or else, I fear that you would have opened up a hole on the ground."

"Hole? But that is physically impossible. To make a hole on the ground, I would have to…"

"It's an expression, Lucina."

"O-Oh, sorry. What are you doing here at the garden, anyway?" Lucina asked, trying to diverge the princess' attention to another thing other than her.

"I was just taking a walk," she answered, still twirling her parasol. "I also decided to check up on my turnip plantation. I just came back from checking it and they are growing as strong and healthy as ever."

"That's good."

"What about you? What is it in your mind that was making you walk around in circles?"

"Oh, it's nothing you should be concerned about," Lucina looked away.

"Is that so?" Peach smiled. "I understand that you don't wish to speak about your problems to me. Whatever you are facing, it is up to you to decided what you are going to do about it," she turned around, ready to leave, when she turned her head over her shoulder. "But if you ever change your mind, call me and we will discuss this over some tea. I'll be at the training room. Goodbye for now, Lucina."

She left Lucina behind, humming a soft melody along the way.

Lucina could live without the answers. But Princess Peach was usually so helpful and kind. Sure, her taunts during battles mostly consisted of her singing and dancing on the competition's face, but Peach was never mean-spirited and was very intelligent.

Maybe she could help her. Or not.

Or yes.

Peach wasn't even that close to her, so obviously Lucina asking those kinds of questions would be pretty awkward for both of them. But she DID offer some help, independently of the type of problem she was having.

Or not.

Lucina shook her head and decided to follow the pink clad princess.

* * *

><p>Palutena took a few strands of blonde hair from Samus' face, contemplating her serene expression as she slept soundly in her arms. She looked so peaceful and so different from the way she acted around the other Smashers. When Samus strode through the halls of the mansion, she always had that cold, uninviting glare on her eyes. Palutena herself would never have gone through the length of getting close to her if Pit didn't keep babbling that, deep down, Samus was a great and charismatic person. And was she ever so glad to have listened to him and insisted on trying to get to know her.<p>

Up close, Samus was even more beautiful than she imagined. She never could have imagined that this was the same Samus Aran she had to face during battles. Palutena was truly happy. Yet, she knew that that was exactly the issue here. She wanted Samus more than anything and that, in itself, was going to bring problems for both of them.

She could end what they were having right here and now. She could tell her that she wouldn't be able to get into a relationship with her more serious than just good friends. She could tell her that what they were doing a big mistake. That would be the most logical thing to do.

Palutena, instead, let out a melancholic sigh and gave a light kiss on Samus' forehead. She would deal with that later. For the Goddess of Light, she sure wasn't being very bright.

"Hmmm… What is it?" Samus mumbled, still with eyes closed.

"You fell asleep, silly. Don't you want to go back to your bedroom? It is 2 AM," she said smiling.

"Is it that late, really?" Samus asked, slowly opening her eyes and sitting up. "I guess I should get going, then. Not sure how someone would react if they saw me leaving your room during morning."

"I wouldn't mind," Palutena commented, also sitting up.

"But I would," she then added under her breath: "At least, not until it happens."

Samus got up and stretched her back until she could shake her sleepiness away, just enough for her to arrive in her bedroom without stumbling into something. She walked towards the door, but not before turning to Palutena, who watched her leave with that same warm smile she always had on her face. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good night," she said and then left the room, being careful to not make any sounds as she closed the door.

"Good night, Samus."

Palutena laid on her bed again without even bothering on adjusting her night gown. She could still feel warmth from where Samus was and an involuntary smile appeared on her face. She knew what she needed to do. But surely she could enjoy the moment a little more before everything went to hell.

"_Oh, Pit, it's nothing serious," she let out a spirited laugh. "We're not planning on becoming lovers. We're just friends."_

"_Friends who kiss each other?"_

"_Exactly," she nodded._

That little bit of dialogue brought a sour taste to Palutena's mouth as it came to her mind. Pit was very clueless about many things, but when it came to the well-being of the ones he held dear, he was surprisingly insightful about what was going on with them. He knew Samus enough to realize that she was not casual about her feelings for other people. Samus didn't go around kissing other Smashers because she felt like it.

"_But… do you think it will work out between you two?"_

It would. She could tell that both she and Samus were happy being together like that. How long it would work, it was anyone's guess.

Palutena clung her hand to the bed sheets. She wished Samus would spend the rest of the night with her and distract her from her thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>I was going to write more about Lucina talking to Peach this chapter, but I'd rather have this chapter short and focus better on that scene on the next one. Sorry for the total lack of Robin for this chapter.<strong>

**I'll just add a few more notes here:**

**1- No, nothing happened in Palutena's room. They just mostly kissed and spent the night talking. I'm pretty sure that Palutena wouldn't mind going a little further, though. **

**2- I really like the idea of Palutena being pansexual. Not only her, but all of the gods from Kid Icarus.** **If you read about the way the gods acted in Greek mythology, you'll understand why.**

**3- The more I think about Lucina's subplot, the more I want to make this subplot into an independent one shot, but I'm still not sure about that. **

**4- The scenes between Samus/Palutena and Lucina didn't happen in chronological order. It was already the next noon when Peach found Lucina walking around the garden.**

**I really need to go back to writing the next chapter of "Gemini" now... I have the feeling I'm ignoring my other fic...**


	4. Chapter 4

Lucina couldn't tell if that was her fifth or six cup of tea, but she drank it anyway. She couldn't take any more of that tea, but it was better to drink it than stare at Peach in an awkward silence. The two sat on the kitchen's large table with Lucina facing Peach, though facing was not the right word for someone who spent more time looking at her tea cup rather than at the princess' patient blue eyes that sat in front of her.

That wasn't to say they stayed silent the whole time. Thanks to Peach, the two made some small conversation here and there, but it was mostly about trivial things and they never got to talk about the swordswoman's problem. Unlike Lucina, she drank her tea calmly and in small doses, which might explain why she wasn't having liquid almost flooding from her ears and nostrils.

Lucina couldn't take it anymore. She had prolonged this way too much.

"Alright, then, about my problem," she started, setting the cup on the table.

"Yes, go on," the princess motioned for her to proceed.

"I am not quite sure how to start it. Especially because I feel as if this is a really personal thing to ask about."

"Oh, Lucina, if you heard all the things that I had to listen to in these past tournaments, you would see that I really do not care at all if it might be considered inappropriate," Peach giggled. Sometimes it was hard being one of the only five female fighters in a tournament with thirty something males, but she grew used to it.

"I just ask you to not laugh, please," Lucina took a deep breath. "I wanted to know something. How do you feel about relationships between two girls?"

"Between... what?" the princess tilted her head to the side.

"I mean, I say between two girls, but this may also apply to men as well!" she blurted out as her face started to get a red color that could rival a tomato. "It is just that I thought about women first! Oh, that didn't sound right... I mean..."

She decided to shut up before she could embarrass herself any further, while Peach looked at her with eyes that were very hard to get a read on. Now it was a good moment for her to speak, even if it was a simple 'You know what? I have better things to do than answer to this stupid question', as the silence became unbearable between them. Lucina could feel a sigh of relief building up inside her as she saw Peach nod in understanding and smile again.

"That was a very odd question, I will give you that," Peach answered taking another sip from her now cold tea. "But I have nothing against it. Why, as long as the couple is happy, then it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I suppose it is true. But is it really that common? For two girls to fall in love?"

"Well, it is much less common than a man and a woman falling in love," she put a finger on her chin. "And it is a kind of relationship that is looked down upon in many places and cultures. It's pretty sad, actually."

"Why would it bother people so much that they would look down upon two people love each other very much?"

"Beats me. For the same reason why you are asking me all these questions now?"

"I have nothing against it! I was just confused, because I have never heard of this type of relationship before!" she quickly defended herself. "I'm not saying it is bad!"

Again silence. Again Lucina wanted to plant her face on the ground for ever starting this kind of conversation with Princess Peach. She would make sure to not look the princess in the face after that for next three weeks.

"Now you got me curious," Peach said, setting her own cup on the table. "Mind if I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Uh, sure, go ahead."

"What made you suddenly think about this kind of stuff?"

Lucina wanted to tell her about Samus and Palutena, but was not so sure if that would be considered gossiping. As far as she knew, she didn't know if they would want her to go around talking about their life, especially because they didn't know she saw them kiss.

She would have to lie. Or, at least, try. "I have read it… in a book," her voice cracked. "In a book in the library that now I can't remember its name."

"I see…"

It was a blatant and obvious lie, yet Peach decided to let it slide. She was much more interested in the answer to her second question anyway. "Are you serious about never having heard about this kind of relationship before?" she asked.

"I am telling you the truth."

"You said you were part of an army from where you came from, right? Have you never found any of your comrades' behavior odd when it came to the way they interacted with someone of the same gender?"

"No, never!" she then paused to think harder. "Uh, well, there were Severa and Kjelle, but I just thought they were really good friends."

"Of course they were," there was a not so subtle hint of sarcasm in Peach's voice that didn't go unnoticed by Lucina.

"I suppose I took too much of your time," the swordswoman said as she got up. "I am really sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you very much for your help, Peach."

At that point, she just wanted to leave before things started to get more awkward than before, if that was even possible. Yet, it was one single question that came out from the princess' mouth that made her paralyze on the spot: "Aren't you even curious?"

"About what?" she asked apprehensively. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?

"You know," Peach said with her chin rested on her hands. "About how it feels like to kiss a girl."

That statement seemed to stab Lucina's guts like a sharp nice. "W-Why would I be curious about that?!" she exclaimed.

"I was just asking," the blonde raised her hands in defense. "It's just that, if I were in your situation, I would be. Just to find out if that was my thing."

Lucina opened her mouth to answer (or try), when Robin appeared all of a sudden. She swear she could hear the chorus of angels singing as he entered the room, ready to save her from further embarrassment she was about to face. His white hair seemed especially shiny today, but that might be because of the holy halo above his head. She could swear she saw little cherubim dancing around him playing trumpets. "Oh, Lucina, there you are," he said in an angelic voice. "I was searching for you."

For Peach, his voice at the moment sounded as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard. Her cheery disposition fell flat as she heard him inviting Lucina for a practice session with him, his female counterpart Robin and Shulk. After she saw the swordswoman agree, she quickly got up and decided to remove the tea cups from the table. "So I suppose our conversation is over," she commented, bringing their attention to her.

"Oh, Princess Peach," Robin said. "I didn't realize you were there. I'm terribly sorry…"

"It is nothing," she said forcing a smile and putting the cups over the kitchen sink. "Lucina and I were just chatting, but I guess I took too much of her time."

"Oh, no, you didn't! Don't worry," Lucina said. "And, um, thank you for everything."

"You're welcome."

Instead of leaving, however, Peach just got closer to Lucina and whispered in her ear: "By the way, you look adorable, blushing like that. If you ever want to find out about _that_, I'll be more than happy to help you."

Giving one last glance over her shoulders at the tactician, Peach left the room with her chin held high. Robin had no idea what she had just said to Lucina, but he would be lying if he said he didn't want to know what would cause his friend to blush so hard.

* * *

><p>"So…" Captain Falcon commented with the voice of someone who was trying to desperately keep the conversation casual and failing miserably. "You and Palutena, uh?"<p>

Samus almost accidentally spilled the energy drink she was drinking on the racer's face, even though, deep down, that's what she wanted to do ever since she felt his arm wrapping around her shoulders as if they were best bros, which they weren't. That wasn't to say she and Falcon weren't on bad terms, as she found his company enjoyable from time to time. The problem was that little gesture of his that almost certainly spelt "awkward topic" in sight. Every time Captain Falcon tried to act like her bro made part of Samus' soul die.

And what an awkward topic to discuss, indeed! Samus gave a glance at Palutena, who kept eating her food beside her as if nothing wrong was happening, which of course it wasn't true, because Captain Falcon was there, with his beefy arm around her shoulder, asking for confirmation that she and Palutena were dating in the middle of lunch time.

The two have been dating for about a couple of weeks now and things between them were going pretty smoothly. Sure, there were a few problems here and there, with Palutena having to spend a good portion of her time having to attend to her godly duties and Samus spending a little too much time practicing and sparing with other Smashers, just so she could occupy herself when the other wasn't around. So it really was difficult for them to finally be able to spend some time together other than in each other's bedroom at night or at meal times.

They really weren't that affectionate to each other in public. So how did Captain Falcon, of all people, could come to the conclusion that the two were dating?

"Why are you asking me this?" she asked.

"I have my contacts. Now tell me, are you two a thing?"

"Falcon…" she grunted in annoyance.

"Look, gossips around here run really fast, okay?" he said in an exasperated tone. "I can't even remember who it was that said that, but half the Smashers here are already talking about it!"

"Don't mind him, Samus," Palutena finally spoke. "They are just rumors; don't let them get into you."

"Palutena, come on," Falcon pushed further. "I was just asking yes or no! Don't come with these vague answers."

In reality, Captain Falcon had mixed feelings about this whole situation. If they were dating, then that meant two things: one, Palutena was out of the game, even though it wasn't like he had any chances with her, considering she was a goddess, but a guy could dream; and two, that Samus truly, deeply disappointed him. If it was him who had that once in a lifetime chance with probably the hottest girl in that whole mansion, he would be gloating to every Smasher available until someone was forced to punch him in the face. And then there was Samus, living the dream of probably a lot of guys there, and she kept it all to herself.

Life wasn't fair.

"…Yes, it is true," the bounty huntress announced, making those mixed feelings grow even stronger inside Captain Falcon. "There's no reason to keep hiding it. If people are already aware of our relationship, then what can we do?"

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Palutena said with a grin. "Weren't you the same Samus that pushed me away when I tried to kiss you at the living room the other day?"

Okay, so maybe they weren't as subtle about their sudden affection towards each other as she would like to think. Palutena probably gave it away with those little gestures of hers, like almost always wanting to hold hands, or hugging her waist from behind when they were watching TV. Gestures that, surprisingly, passed unnoticed by her, but not to the other Smashers. Just how used to Palutena's antics had she gotten to?

"Man, I can't believe that the two girls I've been trying to hit on this whole time are making out with each other!" Captain Falcon exclaimed at least.

"Falcon, if you're not going to add anything useful to this conversation, then you can just leave," Samus scoffed.

"Don't worry, Flacon, you never had a chance with any us anyway," the goddess said as she finished her lunch.

Ouch!

Ouch. After that, even Samus took pity on the racer who just kind of got up and kind of went away to possibly throw himself on the nearest trash bin. "That was unnecessarily cruel," the blonde remarked.

"But isn't it true?"

"It was still uncalled for."

"Oh, alright, I'm sorry," she said intertwining her fingers with her girlfriend's under the table. "I'll apologize to him later, okay?"

Samus said nothing and decided to take a look around her, at the Smashers who were still eating. Everything seemed to be normal and they appeared to be minding their own business. There was a quick glance shot at their table every now and then from some of them, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. Then again, the sound of conversation was so loud that it was pretty difficult to focus on any other thing that wasn't the person you were talking to.

The two decided to leave and relax for a while before they had to separate and go have their respective matches. Since most of the Smashers were still being in the cafeteria, they had the living room all to themselves without someone coming in and interrupting anything. Even with some of them already knowing about their relationship, Samus wasn't a big fan of people staring.

She knew from experience that some Smashers could be pretty inconvenient. So, really, let them talk behind her back, as long as they wouldn't bother her after that.

Samus plopped on the sofa and closed her eyes. One second later she felt Palutena resting her head on her lap with her face turned upwards, which meant that her entire body occupied the rest of the sofa, save for her feet who just hanged in the air for the lack of space. "Are you sure you don't want to try to occupy the sofa even more?" she asked ironically, giving out one of her rare sarcastic smiles. "I'm sure you can fit your feet somewhere."

"I would, but your lap is blocking the way," she gave a smug grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being in your way," she answered in the same smug and ironic tone. "I guess I'll move over to another sofa so you can have this one all to yourself."

"Don't you even dare."

Samus placed a small kiss on her lips and then went on to play with her green hair. It was in quiet moments like those when she realized how much she enjoyed staying with Palutena. It all felt so surreal, yet so right, to be this close to her. All her annoyance she used to feel towards her at that point had magically disappeared and seemed to be something of a distant past.

"Soon I'll have to battle Link," Palutena commented lazily. "I don't want to fight him."

"Link is not that bad."

"Yeah, but he uses a lot of projectiles and getting close to him can get pretty tiring."

"You'll do well, I'm sure of it."

"Of course I'm going to win," she chuckled. "I'm just saying that I find fighting Link tiring. I'd rather stay here."

"I know."

"And then I still need to attend some offering ceremony the humans in my home universe are making," she continued ranting on. "And then I have to go talk to my sibblings…"

"Your sibblings?" Samus asked, still caressing her hair. She could tell she was making Palutena feel drowsy and couldn't help but find that adorable.

"I'd rather not talk about them," Palutena made a disgusted face. "We are not in the best terms nowadays. It'll get better, it always does, but I'd rather not have to share the same space with them at the moment. They are too bothersome and reunions with them can go on for _hours_."

"Will you even be able to return tonight?"

"I don't think so…" the goddess muttered. "But I'll probably be back by tomorrow noon."

"Well, I understand. You are still a goddess and you have your duties," Samus sighed. "Even if it's with family members that you don't like."

Palutena forced a smile, even when she was still a little bitter inside when she heard Samus' remark: she was a goddess, an immortal being that had the duty to look over and take care of humans. As far as she knew, getting into a relationship with one of said humans wasn't exactly the most logical and sensible thing to do. But she did it anyway.

For Palutena, the lifespan of a human was nothing but a blink of an eye. They came and went, some leaving their mark in history, be it for good or bad, while others died insignificant and forgettable deaths. There was no reason for her to get attached to any of them.

She herself wasn't usually one to pay much attention to certain individuals, unlike her brothers and sisters. Unless those individuals were exceptional at something, be it for their beauty, strength or intelligence, the Goddess of Light wouldn't bother with them. Samus just so happened to be exceptional at those three things. Granted, the fact that she was completely in love with her made Palutena's vision of her glorify certain aspects. But biased or not, only a blind person wouldn't agree with her to some degree.

She just wanted to be friends. It would hurt a lot less for both of them in the future. She opened her eyes and looked at her lover's face once again, feeling a pang on her heart as she saw her so peaceful and content. Her heart got even heavier as she realized that those feelings were mutual and how nice it felt to be this close to her.

Since when did she start listening more to her desires than to reason? At that point, she should know better than that. Gods and humans couldn't be together for too long. Not because it was forbidden or anything, but because of the pesky little detail of mortality. Humans grew old, wrinkly and afraid of death. Gods just sat back and enjoyed their immortal life and, in most cases but not all, beauty.

Someday she would talk about that issue to Samus, maybe. She would discuss that with her later.

Later… That was Palutena's answer every time she thought about that topic.

"Didn't you have a match with Link?" she heard Samus' voice bring her back to reality.

"Samus, do you think that, if I made Pit use a green wig and a dress, he could go fight for me?" Palutena asked lazily.

"No. Stop being lazy and get up already."

Palutena got up and slowly as possible and let out a good stretch on her back. Right, she needed to go fight Link and then return to Skyworld and pay a visit to her family. None of those three things were pleasant, but at least they would distract her for a while.

As they prepared to leave, they saw Dark Pit and Robin entering the room, the two chatting about things that they couldn't quite understand what it was about due to their low voices. Palutena was rather surprised to see the dark angel being able to hold a conversation with the tactician without letting out any sassy remark every ten seconds. She was also surprised to see Robin interacting with another Smasher that wasn't Lucina, Shulk or her male counterpart. It was truly a miracle of a sight.

"Oh, Palutena, Samus, hello," Robin greeted as she noticed the two women in the living room.

"Hello to you too, Robin," Samus greeted back and then shot an accusatory glare at Dark Pit. "Dark Pit, Captain Falcon came to talk to me during lunch about something very… personal stuff about us."

Dark Pit groaned and rolled his eyes as he already knew what she wanted to talk about. "If it's about those rumors about you and Palutena kissing going around the mansion, I'll let you know that it wasn't me who spread them around, okay?" he said.

"Oh, really? Then who was it?" Palutena asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Pit, who else?" he said calmly. "That idiot can't keep his mouth shut for a damn second."

"Well, if you didn't go around gossiping about our private life to him, he wouldn't have said anything," the goddess countered his argument.

"Are you seriously trying to find a way to blame me?!"

"Actually, it was kind of everyone's fault here," Robin pointed out. "Let me explain, Pit just told everything about your affair because Sonic was curious about the way you acted around Samus and wanted to know if you two had a thing going on. And, well, there was a group of Smashers nearby, including myself, so we heard everything that he said. Pit tried to lie at first, but he's almost as bad as Lucina at this. So, in the end, he just told the truth."

"Oh, wow, alright…" Samus said perplexed. "That was kind of needlessly complicated, but…"

"Granted, I didn't need to know that trough Pit, because Lucina told me everything," Robin continued waving her hand in a dismissive way.

"Don't tell me she saw us on Yoshi's Island too," the blonde said covering her face with her hands.

"She and the other Robin, yes," the mage nodded.

"See? I wasn't the only one," Dark Pit said.

"You should have seen Lucina's face as she told me about your kiss," Robin giggled. "She looked so confused about the whole situation; it was both hilarious and very adorable."

The image of a blushing Lucina passed by the four Smashers' heads as Robin continued to giggle like a mad woman. They could very well imagine her putting her hands on her cheeks and uttering in a distressed and soft voice: "But that's forbidden love!"

She was right. It must have been adorable.

* * *

><p><strong>Someone draw Lucina as Hitomi from Madoka Magica, please. Just do it. I need it for reasons.<strong>

**But anyway, I'm feeling kind of sleepy as I write this last part, so I'm sorry about this kind of nonsense ending for this chapter. Not that I will change it, but still, it's good to apologize.**

**Oh, and I'm going to answer anon's review here: I'm pretty sure that Palutena's fight with Medusa wasn't any kind of cover up. The two just hate each other. Medusa probably wouldn't care about Palutena's love life at all.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys, I just want to say something real quick about this chapter. There won't be a lot of Samus, Palutena or Lucina in it, but there are some things I want to get out of the way, so I thought this chapter was the best to write about this stuff. Next one will feature the three of them a lot more, promise!**

* * *

><p>"Lady Palutena, watch out for that boomerang! It's going to come back!" Pit cried out to the screen in front of him.<p>

"Pit, you do know she can't hear you from here, right?"

"I can try."

"I bet twenty bucks that Palutena will win."

"Are you insane? Link has a clear advantage. It is very obvious who will win!"

As if Pit's words had crossed the TV screen, both the angel and the bounty huntress who were seated on the sofa cheered as the boomerang did, indeed come back and brought the goddess closer to her opponent, but instead of taking the hit that Link has been charging, she countered his attack with her staff and sent him flying off the edge of the "Wrath of the Reset Bomb" stage. However, he still wasn't damaged enough to suffer a K.O. and recovered back to the stage.

Seated on the sofa, watching the match between Link and Palutena, were Pit, Samus, Zelda and Mega Man, all watching anxiously the battle being transmitted with crossed fingers and divided into two teams: Pit and Samus rooted for Palutena, while Zelda and Mega Man cheered for Link. Some other Smashers passed by and stopped to watch the match for a few good seconds, before going on their way. Pikachu also sat on the very edge of the sofa, not because he wanted to watch the fight, but because he wanted to take over the TV's remote control as soon as the battle was over. Since there were only four TV screens, sometimes it could be hard to get to watch what you wanted and Pikachu would not let the opportunity go away once they let go of the remote, so he waited patiently. At least, he thought he was patient, because he received a gentle pat in the head from Mega Man.

"You can have the TV soon," he said, not taking his eyes off the screen. "They're down to only one life."

"(What is taking them so long? One more hit and either of them would be sent flying,)" the Pokemon complained.

A little further away from them there was a group of four Smashers, all gathered around in a circle table and playing a round of poker; or rather, three of them were being massacred in poker by Yoshi. The victims were Marth, Peach and Little Mac, and each seemed to be copping with the loss of their money to a dinosaur who was more interested in attacking the food dispenser than anything else in their own way. As Peach finished biting off her last finger nail and Yoshi grabbed yet more chips, she noticed the prince switching glances between their games and at the mini-crowd by the TV.

"What is it that you look so much at their direction?" she asked and brought his attention back to the table.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because you're paying more attention to Palutena and Link's match than at our own game, mate," Little Mac stated and then glared at Yoshi who, in return, gave out the goofiest grin back at him.

The cheers from Samus and (especially) Pit made Marth jump at his seat and turn around, only to find the two Smashers celebrating at Palutena's victory. From Zelda's protests, it appeared that she had only won because Link couldn't roll out of the way fast enough to avoid her wing attack. Peach eyed him with curiosity as he furrowed his brows at the scene. "If you wanted to watch their match so badly, you could have just moved to the sofa," the princess said, bringing again his attention back to them.

"I wasn't watching the fight, Peach," Marth said putting down all his cards, as he has already given up playing.

"Then what is the matter?"

"I was just wondering if I should go talk to Samus or not," he replied rather embarrassed.

"Ya got a crush on her or something like that?" Little Mac asked. "'Cos I'll let y'know…"

"I do not have a crush on her," the blue-haired prince cut him off. "I just wanted to ask her about those rumors that have been running around this place that is all."

"About her dating Palutena? I'm pretty sure it's been already proven true," Peach said with a hand on her chin.

"I know right?" the boxer elbowed the prince playfully. "It's really a shame."

"Mac, I thought you liked the Wii Fit Trainer?" she asked.

"That doesn't mean I can't sympathize with Marth!"

"For the last time, I do NOT have a crush on either of them," Marth said, trying his best to keep the tone of his voice low. "I just find their relationship bizarre. That is all."

"I find it cute the way they look at each other," Peach commented happily.

Marth glared at her as if she was some sort of crazy person, which caught Peach off guard. "You can't be serious," he said.

"Why not?" Peach asked in surprise. "Look, Marth, we both know Samus for a long time and not once I've seen her show off an aura this happy. At least during her time here in the Smash mansion, that is."

"I just can't think of it as right. If only Samus was with a man, I wouldn't have a problem," he shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake off the annoyed glare from the princess. "Hey, it's just my opinion."

"A terrible one, if you ask me," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Ahem, nothing."

"And you think this is normal?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Of course I do."

"Figures."

"Why?"

"How much you want to bet that, if something like that happened to someone very close to you, you would feel differently about it?" Marth said in irritation. "It is really easy to be open-minded when it's not happening to you, isn't it? Unlike you, Peach, I'm not going to pretend that I find this behavior okay."

"Aw, c'mon now Marth," Little Mac tried reasoning with him, but the prince just shook him off.

"I'm just saying, it is quite sad, actually. People just don't go accepting this kind of relationship kindly," he continued ranting with crossed arms. "If anyone from my family ended up like those two, I would be pretty sad for him or her, because I know how unhappy they would be."

And then there was a crushing silence between them.

All that Peach could do was bite her lip, hold her breath and concentrate solely on not letting out the laughter that built inside of her, ready to explode at any minute, escape. But she would have a better chance at fighting off a leaking tank of laughing gas, so she ended up snorting and covering her mouth in order to contain her giggling. The giggles soon evolved into a pure and loud laughter. Oh, the sweet, sweet irony.

"What's the matter?" Marth asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I-It's n-nothing, ha ha ha," she tried to deny, but couldn't even maintain a straight face anymore. "I just… I just thought how funny it would be if you ended up with a guy and had to swallow your words."

"What are you talking about? I'm married to Caeda, Peach."

"I know, I know. It's just that this thought looks way too funny in my head," she said. "How ironic would that be? Besides, didn't you and Ike…"

"It was one-sided from his part," Marth sighed. "Nothing happened between us, despite what everyone else in the mansion wanted to believe."

"Oi, Ike, really?!" Mac exclaimed with a smirk. "When did that happen?!"

The three stopped talking as they heard an annoyed grunt coming Yoshi, who just sat there with an annoyed expression on his face. For a moment, they have forgotten that the little green dinosaur was there, since he has been silent the entire time. Yoshi pointed to the cards on the table and at the chips he had amounted, as if wondering if they wanted to continue playing or not.

"Sorry, Yoshi. I guess we got too caught up in this conversation," Marth apologized.

"I'm tired. I think I'll stop the game here," Peach said getting up from the table. "If you'll excuse me."

"Yeah, I'm also tired of having Yoshi kicking my ass," Little Mac said as he also got up from the chair.

Marth shrugged and started to retrieve all the cards and chips that were spread on the table. He also wasn't feeling like continuing their game, especially after having that argument with Peach. The princess could be so inconvenient sometimes. He was just expressing his opinion, nothing else. She didn't need to get so flustered up about it.

"Does this mean I win?" Yoshi asked with a spark on his eyes.

"Yes, it does," she answered sweetly. "You can have my desserts for the next week, just like I promised."

Yoshi pumped his fist in the air, his mouth already watering at the thought of all the desserts he would get from the three Smashers that were with him.

"Oh, yeah, right," Little Mac said now remembering what he wanted to ask. "What about you, Yoshi? What do you think about Samus and Palutena being together?"

Yoshi just looked at him as if he had just said the most alien concept he has ever heard. "I dunno. Why should I care? You guys are so weird," he simply answered. He was a dinosaur whose worries were eating, sleeping and having a good time with his friends. Why would he bother trying to understand how humanoid relationships worked?

Peach said her goodbyes and left them behind as quickly as possible, a giggle escaping from her every once in a while as she replayed her conversation with Marth on her head over and over again. It was best for Lucina to not hear what the Hero King (as she so called him) thought about the whole situation, especially now that she was feeling so lost. She would probably paralyze emotionally and feel ashamed, something that Peach didn't want to happen. First of all, because to feel guilt over something trivial like the curiosity she felt was a pretty sad thing to have; and second, because Lucina was just so darn cute and she would not miss this golden opportunity of kissing her.

After all, she made herself very clear back then to her. Though, now that she was thinking about it, Lucina wasn't exactly the most perceptive Smasher when it came to flirting. But, on the bright side, she could feel that the swordswoman felt kind of flustered with her, so that must be a good signal for her.

Now all she needed to do was wait for Lucina's answer. In the meantime, she should practice her skills in a 3-minute Multi-man Smash fight just so she wouldn't rust her fighting style. Peach has been skipping her self-made schedule training for about a week due to a cold that resulted in her being rather lazy even after she got better and needed desperately to go back to her routine. As she walked towards the control room to adjust the settings of the Battlefield stage, she saw Robin already there, using the one of the computers responsible for the battle adjustments. From the way his hair looked and how his face was drenched in sweat, Peach would have guessed that it wasn't long since he had practiced with Lucina and the others.

"Hello, Robin," she greeted as she walked over to another computer.

"Princess Peach, hey," the tactician greeted back without taking his eyes off from the computer.

"I'm rather surprised to see you here, alone. I usually see you training with your sister."

"She is not my sister," Robin corrected her. "She is me, only from a parallel universe. I like to train with Robin because we both possess the same strength and weaknesses, so our battle really comes down to skill and strategy."

"What?"

Robin gave an inward sigh and reminded himself that saying that the other Robin was his sister was more practical and saved him from having to explain the truth three times in a row. He suddenly felt the princess getting closer to him and peek at his computer screen. "What is it?" he asked.

"Aw, you're setting up the 3-minute Multi-Man Smash practice routine," she pouted. "I was going to do that now."

"Do you want to join me, then?" he asked, turning his head to her.

"Well, if you insist, yes."

Robin added Peach to the system and the two soon found themselves in the middle of the Battlefield stage, ready to fight of the Miis that would soon spawn in a couple of seconds.

**GO!**

And so the training began, with Peach taking care of the Miis on the left side of the battlefield, while Robin proceeded to throw spells at the Miis on the right. For most part of those long 3 minutes the two Smashers didn't exchange a single word, none of them knowing what exactly to say to each other. Peach and Robin were complete strangers, despite having to live under the same roof, having to eat meals at the same space and having to fight at the same tournament. They had their own social clique and schedules, and never really felt the need to get to know each other that much.

Yet, there was something that they had in common, or Peach so thought. She wasn't sure, but trying to see if it was true wouldn't hurt anybody. At worst, it would cause a minor inconvenience, but Peach's curiosity was speaking louder. She took the opportunity that she had just finished off two brawler Miis and rushed to the fair-haired magician's side. "Hey, Robin, can I ask you something?" she asked, before using her tennis racket to hit a gunner in the head.

"Sure, go ahead," he answered, still focused on the drones that kept coming after them.

"What's your relationship with Lucina?"

"My relationship with… what?!" he accidentally let out a weak thunder attack, instead of waiting for his tome to charge more. "Where did this come from?"

"I mean, what are you exactly to Lucina? Brother? Friend?" Peach hesitated for a moment. "Boyfriend?"

"We are just friends," he said curtly. There was something in his voice that told her he wasn't being entirely sincere with her.

"Okay, but do you like her?" she pressed on. "Because one thing is you being just friends, the other is you _wanting_ to be more than just friends."

"Why are you asking me this?" Robin asked, his mind so occupied with her questions that he missed his arcfire attack on the nearest Mii brawler. The mii took that opportunity to punch him in the guts and send him flying away from them a good couple of feet away.

Peach grabbed the Mii by his shirt's collar and gave him a slap in the face so strong it sent him flying off the stage. "It's just that I always I see you with her, and you two seem very close," she said, offering a hand to him. Robin hesitantly grabbed it and slowly got back to his feet, not really liking where this conversation was going, especially because Peach was a complete stranger to him and he didn't feel like discussing his feelings with her.

Where did that come from to begin with?

He remembered how he found Lucina having tea with the Mushroom Kingdom princess and how uncomfortable she looked near her. "Is this what you were talking about with Lucina before?" he asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Is this why she was feeling so awkward afterwards?"

"No, though what I'm asking you have something to do with what I was talking to her," Peach said, waving her hand in a more-or-less motion. "Sort of."

"What is the point you're trying to make?"

"My point is that I don't want to get in the middle of whatever is happening between the two of you," she said, looking him dead serious in his eyes. "Robin, I'm going to be completely sincere with you. I like Lucina a lot and I've been interested in her for a long time."

"W-What?!"

"That's why I asked you about your relationship to her. If you and she were dating, I would back off right away," she paused, as if expecting him to interrupt her, but continued right after she realized he was too shocked to say anything. "But since you two are just _friends _then there really is nothing in my way. Unless you decide that maybe now it is a good time to consider professing your love for her, then I'm not going to stop you."

Robin watched her gracefully swing a golf club at two swordfighters that approached, still trying to process what the princess had just said to him. Peach liked Lucina since when? The two barely have spoken during those four months since they have arrived in the Smash Mansion, right? What did she know about Lucina other than where she came from and that she was sweet and pretty in every way possible?

Okay, maybe he did answer his question with that last part.

"And what makes you so sure that she will be interested in you?" was all he could ask without stuttering like a fool.

Robin was taken aback from the sly, yet sweet, smile the other gave him.

"You'd better believe she is. I have already made my move; I'm just waiting for Lucina to make hers."

The timer ran out and the two got immediately transported back to the mansion.

* * *

><p>"Of all the gods, you're the one I've expected to see here the least, to tell you the truth."<p>

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not here because I want to party. These parties definitely are not my thing."

"I guess we can agree on that."

"Oh, just take a seat already."

Palutena shrugged her shoulders and decided to seat on the stone bench where Viridi, was seated. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she found it rather adorable how the Goddess of Nature's feet were dangling in the air due to her very small stature. Despite acting all high and mighty and being in charge of nature and all living things, Viridi was nothing more than a bratty child who still had a lot to grow up both physically and mentally. But Palutena wouldn't complain about her presence. It was better to talk to Viridi than having to deal with other gods like Zeus or Poseidon, especially now that almost everyone there was starting to feel a little bit too happy thanks to Dionysius wine.

Viridi, at least, showed signs that she would leave soon enough. Palutena would just take the opportunity to use her as an excuse and tell everyone she would leave with her. Even when they were drunk out of their minds it was best to not get on their bad side. A good excuse was always better than just saying: "Screw you all, I'm out of here."

"So, why did you decide to come here, Viridi?" Palutena asked.

"Poseidon wants to sink yet another city," Viridi answered in annoyance. "And that's all fine and dandy, but there's an important forest with a rich ecosystem next to it. I can't have him spreading water all over the place even if that means that I'll have to deal with humans living nearby."

"I see…"

"What about you? I'm sure you'd rather stay at the Smash mansion than being here."

"Can't say you're wrong," she let out a sheepish smile.

"I've heard the competition there is pretty tough. Ah, it's too bad that Master Hand never gave me an invitation," Viridi mused.

"They have a stage representing the time where you dropped your reset bomb on a human city. Does that make you happy, at least?" Palutena commented as if that wasn't a big deal. "They even have a holographic representation of you there."

"Ha ha ha, you bet I am," the girl crossed her arms, still laughing as she recalled that wonderful day. "And I would have done it again, if it weren't for you and Pit sticking your noses where you're not called."

"Your disregard for humanity continues as astounding as ever," the green-haired woman rolled her eyes.

"Of course that would come from the patron goddess of humanity," she imitated the other's gesture. "Seriously, you're such a sap when it comes to humans, Palutena. I'm surprised you still haven't fallen for one of them yet, like everyone else here."

"Including you?

"Including m- NO!" the pale blond goddess blushed furiously. "Never EVER say that again! Like I would fall for a creature this pathetic!"

Palutena quietly laughed as she saw Viridi fighting off the blood the kept going to her cheeks and failing miserably. Despite what the other claimed, she was well aware of some minor crushes that the Goddess of Nature had in the past. It was very possible that she still had them. Her amused expression soon fell flat when she heard the other say: "Besides, even if I did, I would just wait for my crush to pass. Even I wouldn't be so cruel to the point of trying to have a relationship with them."

"Oh, why is that?" she asked as casually as it was possible, which was to say not so much.

"Wow, you, of all people, asking me this?" Viridi raised an eyebrow. "Palutena, getting into a relationship with a human is like getting a puppy, only to realize that you just got the breed that lives the least. You love and care for them, but in the end, they will grow old and die, if they don't die prematurely, while you mourn for maybe a week and pass on to another. That's why it's not worth it. Not to mention, if I was a human, I would be pretty nervous about having to grow old, while my lover just stood as young and pretty as ever."

Palutena bit her lower lip, but made no objections. She would talk to Samus later.

"The only way for a possible happy ending would be if the authoress of this story suddenly came up with a really asinine excuse to make the human immortal, or the god to suddenly become mortal."

And thanks to that terrible break of the fourth wall, Viridi was officially cut from the rest of the story and would not return. Goodbye, Viridi, you won't be missed.

* * *

><p><strong>Marth's dialogue may or may not have been inspired by pretty much my entire family. Anyway, I'm not here to rant about these things. I was wondering if I should change the rating from K+ to T, but I'm not sure yet.<strong>

**Viridi is always fun to have around.**


	6. Chapter 6

Palutena had her mind set. Once she returned to the Smash Mansion, she would pull Samus for a talk and explain how their relationship really couldn't work outside of friends. She would end this before it went too far and their break up got more painful and... they could go back to normal...

After that night.

Yes.

Palutena tightened her hug around Samus' waist and took a deep breath. Both were laid on Samus' bed and it was late at night, the perfect hour for the goddess to not be there cuddling with her girlfriend, because at this exact hour she shouldn't be her girlfriend. But she has been prolonging their certain break up for so long; surely she could wait until tomorrow. It wasn't her fault that when she returned to the Smash mansion, Samus jumped in her arms and…

Okay, so maybe she didn't jump in her arms. But she did take the initiative to pull Palutena into a deep and passionate kiss when she first saw her return, and that sure did make Palutena's mind go blank and make her forget why again she wanted to break up with her.

Oh, right. Immortality. It was getting in the way.

"You sure are tense tonight," she heard Samus comment.

"Am I?"

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing much," her voice cracked a little, which didn't go unnoticed by Samus.

The blonde turned around, making her face stay very few inches from hers and her questioning eyes pierce right through Palutena's blue ones. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly in the same way she would do when she expected some answers, but didn't want to beg for them. Palutena just pressed her lips on hers softly, wanting to end that conversation. Her lips part slightly, trying to deepen their kiss, but she could feel Samus' was more concerned about her and couldn't actually enjoy it.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Palutena asked in return. "Not tonight, please."

"Is it really that bad that you can't even talk about it right now?"

"Sort of. I don't want to ruin everything now."

So much for trying to not ruin the mood.

Samus immediately sat up in her bed, ignoring the other's whining for her to get back. Why again did she need to say that? Was it her unconscious saying that she couldn't prolong it anymore? Or maybe she just had very loose lips, Palutena didn't know. All she could do was get up and hug her knees as she prepared for that painful conversation.

"Palutena, what do you mean by that?" Samus asked with crossed arms.

She would not ruin things now.

"Samus…" she started. "I… think we should break up."

She just ruined everything and she had no idea why.

Palutena flinched in anticipation and squeezed her eyes shut, already expecting the bounty huntress' outburst and cries of indignation. Yet, to her surprise, none of that happened. There was only a heavy, agonizing silence between the two of them, a silence that was slowly consuming the goddess with anxiety.

It seemed like years, but Samus finally spoke: "Why?" her voice was calm and controlled, pretty much different from what Palutena expected.

"It's just… I don't think it would work between us for very long," she said with a meek voice, still avoiding eyes contact.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because," she hesitated. "Because, just look at us."

"Yes?"

"Samus, I hope you didn't forget that I'm an immortal being who can't get physically older," she said, pointing at herself. "I've looked like this since I know myself as a person, if you are curious. And you…"

"And I'm not," Samus said. Palutena flinched a little as her words seemed to cut through her like daggers. "So you want to break up with me because you're afraid of me growing old and dying, while you stay like this forever."

"Yes."

Palutena kept giving those quick, blink-and-you-miss glances at Samus, who just kept looking at the window with an expression that was difficult to read.

"Palutena, for the Goddess of Light, you can be a real idiot sometimes," she finally said, her voice still calm and collected.

"Excuse me?!" the goddess exclaimed.

"If you are so afraid of this happening, why did you make a move on me then? Why did you even bother going through all this way?"

"Because I like…"

"Don't bullshit me," she snarled. "You say you like me, that you want to be with me, only to later regret everything and say that we can't be together because of something you are sure it would happen."

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't think about this either!"

"That's not the issue here, Palutena," she replied bitterly. "What I'm angry about is that, even knowing all of these complications and not ready to embrace them, you still went on with what you wanted. You never stopped to think one second about what I might think and kissed me just because you felt like it. And here you are, breaking up with me without even considering what I have to say about this."

"I knew we should have just stayed as friends," the goddess muttered.

"I don't want to be your friend… I never wanted."

Palutena took that as her cue to get up from Samus' bed, despite everything else inside of her wanting to go back on what she had said. It would be better like that for both of them, really. Sure, it did hurt, but sooner or later the two would get over with their break up.

"So you're really going to leave just like that, uh?" Samus said in a deflated tone of voice.

"Trust me, it's is for the best," Palutena answered, heading to the door.

"Fine, do what you want then. Just go back to your room if you really can't discuss this like an adult."

Somehow, that really did strike a nerve on the goddess and she twirled around in order to face Samus, who still had her gaze fixed on the window. "What is there to discuss then?" she replied coldly. "The fact that the more the years pass, the more you'll get older while I stay like this?"

"You sure didn't think about this when you decided to stick your tongue inside my mouth!"

"You're right, okay?! I really didn't!" Palutena exclaimed. "A-And maybe I didn't want to, because I really do love you and I wanted to spend more time by your side! I wasn't lying about that, Samus!"

"Are you really that afraid of losing me like this?" Samus simply asked, finally looking at her in the eyes. "To the point that you'd rather end everything here, instead of waiting to see what might happen in the future?"

"What other alternatives are there?" she asked bitterly. "It's not like I can make you immortal. I'm not even sure you'd like that to happen to you, to be honest."

"No, I really wouldn't appreciate becoming immortal," the blonde said getting up from her bed.

"Of course you wouldn't. No normal human would."

"Except I'm not a normal human."

"Uh?"

"Palutena, we've known each other for months, and you still haven't realized that my biological system isn't the same of an average human?"

"Well, I know about your history with the Chozo…"

"Yes, but did you also know that I have Metroid DNA that was injected inside of me?" Samus asked, her anger slowly dimming out. "Did you also know that, thanks to that DNA, I can absorb energy that can expand my lifespan?"

"I don't remember ever hearing something like this from you, actually."

"That's because I never thought I would have to point out my genetics to my supposedly wise girlfriend just so she wouldn't break up with me because she's afraid I might die too quickly for her taste," Samus crossed her arms. "I wouldn't be surprised if at this point in my life I couldn't age anymore."

That situation sure was starting to get ridiculous.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'supposedly'?" Palutena said, trying to sound offended, only to fail miserably because of the grin she couldn't to hide. "Here I am, pouring all of my feelings out, trying my best to deny my love for you so we wouldn't suffer so much with our differences of mortality, and that's how you treat me? I'm hurt, Samus. I truly am."

"You're such a sap, you know that?"

Samus wrapped her arms around Palutena's shoulders and pulled her closer into a playful kiss, which the other responded with enthusiasm. It's been a while since Palutena had enjoyed her lips so much, being able to kiss her without guilt or with a heavy conscious.

"You still want to go back to your room, after all?" the blonde asked with a smirk as she stopped to breathe.

"You're joking, right?" she answered excitedly as she warped her arms around her waist. "Bed. Now."

Samus made no objections as Palutena guided both of them back to her bed, with the goddess going in first and Samus following her suit. "So, you can absorb life energy, uh?" Palutena asked as she played with the blonde's messy hair bangs. It felt kind of awkward doing that when Samus was on top, but she didn't mind it. "How exactly does that work?"

"Well, I'm not a Metroid, so obviously it isn't in the same way they do," she replied, touching foreheads. "From what I can gather, I think only direct skin contact is already the sufficient. It's not as aggressive and harmful as a Metroid, but it also isn't as efficient. Not that I'm complaining, really."

"Uhum, direct skin contact," the goddess said, tracing her fingers through the other's chest, all the way down to her bare stomach. "I do wonder how a goddess' cells would react in your organism. Must do miracles."

"It must," she answered, completely distracted.

Samus couldn't control her laughter as Palutena began to assault the corner of her lips with a couple of light and gentle kisses. "Hey, stop that, you doofus, ha ha!" she protested as she received another wave of kisses along her jaw line. "You know how much that tickles!"

"I'm just helping you absorb my life energy better," she said playfully, moving from her jaw to her neck.

"You're ridiculous, Palut-"

She stopped mid-sentence and sharply inhaled her breath as, instead of getting another wave of ticklish, but pleasant, sensation, Palutena begun placing slow and sloppy kisses, trailing her tongue from the dip of her neck to her collar bone. That definitely wasn't her being playful anymore. The bounty huntress instinctively clenched the cover of the bed in her fists and tried muffle a moan, which didn't pass unnoticed by the green-haired deity.

"Well, then…"

"Yeah…"

"So, can we forget about what I said about us breaking up?"

"I'm still mad at you for that," the blonde said, trying her best maintain a scowl.

And there was Palutena again with that toothy, convinced grin of hers. Samus would have probably thrown her pillow in her face if she wasn't so concentrated in her own heartbeat and on her Palutena's mouth.

"I'll make you forget then."

There was something in the way she said those words that sent a pleasant shiver down Samus' spine and made something inside of her stir up. Palutena reached her hand out to the back of her lover's head, grabbing a chunk of her long, messy blonde hair, and pulled her closer, making their eager lips meet. The two could feel their breathing increase as their kiss deepened, as well as their desire for each other.

Samus really did hope none of them had any brawls tomorrow. She really did.

* * *

><p>"Lucina, watch out! There's a bob-bomb behind you!" Ike warned from a platform above her.<p>

Lucina absentmindedly rolled out of the way in time to avoid having the walking bob-bomb explode on her back, making it hit Luigi instead. Ike winced as the green capped plumber was sky rocketed, giving out his cry of defeat as he became nothing but a spec of green in the sky. Now, all they had to do was to take out Rosalina and the victory would be theirs.

If only Lucina would pay more attention and cooperate with him. Ike had no idea why the blue-haired princess was so distracted today and couldn't seem to concentrate on the battle to save her life. The only reason why she hasn't lost one of her lives yet was because Ike kept throwing himself in front of her and fending her from Luigi, Rosalina and Luma, which this in itself was a miracle, considering how tricky it was to stay alive when facing Rosalina and Luma. If they were paying attention to Luma, Rosalina would hit them from behind. If they were fending against Rosalina, Luma throw them in the air and Rosalina would then use her cosmic powers to kick them out of the stage. Honestly, Ike didn't remember having such a headache in the battlefield because of an opponent since the time he had to fight the Ice Climbers in the Summit stage.

Rosalina used her Luma launch, which was both a terrible and great thing. It covered a lot of ground, with Luma standing almost at the other end of the stage, but it also exposed Rosalina a lot to attacks. This was their chance. Ike jumped off from the platform and pulled Lucina closer to him.

"Lucina, keep Luma occupied. I'll take care of Rosalina," he whispered to her, receiving a distracted nod in response.

He side stepped Luma and charged straight to Rosalina, without even looking behind him to see if Lucina was managing fine on her own. Even distracted, he was sure she would fight on her own just fine. One or two swings of his sword and the cosmic queen would be done.

It was just too bad that Lucina's scream of defeat distracted him enough for Rosalina to grab him through him in the air. Without giving him time to react, she jumped and used her up aerial attack to defeat him.

**THE WINNER IS… RED TEAM!**

* * *

><p>While not exactly the most humiliating defeat he has suffered (he could think of five worse, at least, three involving Wario's fart attacks), Ike still couldn't believe how they could have lost in such a ridiculous way. All Lucina had to do was distract the Luma. How could she have lost to a little star that looked like a plush pillow?<p>

Apparently, he wasn't the only one concerned with her well-being.

"Lucina, is something the matter?" Rosalina asked once everyone got teleported back to the mansion.

"You had the victory in your hands," Luigi added.

"Nothing is wrong," she answered, not really convincing anyone there. "Now, if you all will excuse me…"

"Hey, we're all worried about you," Ike called out to the princess, who had her back turned to them. "You didn't even try to counter Luma's attack and…"

"I am sorry for our defeat, Ike," Lucina cut him off. "I will perform better next time, but now I have some place to go. I'll see you soon."

She ignored his protests and walked away, not really in the mood to explain what was wrong with her to a bunch of people who really wouldn't be of any help at all. After all, the last person that she asked for help only ended up adding even more problems to the pile. She felt like her heart was ready to burst out of her chest, though if that was a bad thing or a good thing she really couldn't know.

_If you ever want to find out about _that_, I'll be more than happy to help you_.

Just remembering how flirty Peach pronounced each word was the sufficient to give butterflies to her stomach. Worse, she kind of kept repeating this particular phrase in her head because she wanted to feel those butterflies. Except she really didn't want to. She couldn't deny that she was curious, but she wasn't completely willing to take up on the princess' offer.

She wanted it, except she didn't.

Lucina's head was in a total mess and she didn't know what to do about it. Maybe she did know, but she didn't want to admit it.

As she walked by the mansion's innumerous corridors, she spotted both Robins having a conversation right at the end of it, near Rob's door room. As she paid closer attention, it appeared that they were arguing about something. Robin seemed especially fired up, as she kept pointing an accusatory finger at Rob, who just kept raising his hands in defense. Maybe it was best for Lucina to not get in the middle of their argument, as she wasn't really in the best state of mind to calmly stop a fight without saying anything uncalled for. Besides, she still needed to pay a visit to Peach, who was still expecting for an answer.

She turned around and walked away, blissfully without realizing that said argument would probably make her feel worse about herself.

"I still can't believe you're letting this happen!" Robin exclaimed.

"Okay, Robin, listen…"

"No, you listen!"

"How could I have predicted that Peach, of all people…"

"It's not even about Peach! I'm actually impressed that only she up until now has tried to make a move on her. It's about you not doing what she's doing!"

"Oh, you mean taking advantage of how lost Lucina is in her own feelings regarding romance? Sure, that is really the right thing to do!" Rob said sarcastically.

"You could try."

"Besides, I don't even know if she sees me that way."

"Princess Peach sure knows that she also doesn't see her that way, but you don't see that stopping her, do you?"

"It's different!"

"How so?"

"If Peach gets rejected, she can go on her merry way and not look Lucina in the face, except when she's forced to battle her," Rob explained bitterly, taking Robin by surprise. "Lucina and I have been friends for a very long time. If I were to say that I love her and she says no… things will get weird between us. No matter how much she might say otherwise, it will get. The last thing I want is to ruin our friendship like this."

"I… I understand how you feel, really," his female counterpart said, cupping his face with her hands. "But let me tell you something. I did NOT spend this entire time stepping back, giving you all the opportunity in this world to make your love confession to her, while I spent day and night just dreaming of what could have been, just for you to let Peach, of all people in this entire hellhole, flirt with the woman we both love."

All Rob could do was stare at Robin, not quite sure about what to say to her. He knew how much his female self also harbored the same feelings he had for Lucina. He still remembered the night where she first confessed it to him, even making a bitter joke about how love really knew no gender. The Lucina from her reality apparently got married, so he could already imagine how frustrating it must have been for Robin to see that there was another Lucina, from another reality, and she still had to deal with the fact that her feelings would not be returned again.

"Robin, I don't care if she rejects you by giving you the biggest slap in the face," Robin said sternly. "You will confess your love for her. Or else, I'll go tell her how I feel. I'm tired of waiting for you to take an attitude, so you have this weekend to confess, okay? I'll even help you, if you need it."

Rob pressed his lips together and nodded in response, as he really couldn't blame her for how she felt about this whole situation. If Peach wasn't already good enough reason for him to say something to Lucina, Robin's frustration was what set his mind.

He would talk to Lucina.

As soon as his nerves calmed down, that is.

* * *

><p><strong>It's okay, Robin, I also didn't predict that Peach would flirt with Lucina like that. She just kind of appeared and now I don't want her to go away.<strong>

**Anyway, this story is getting close to its ending. And by close, I mean I think I'll write two more chapters and that's it. Like I said before, the first chapter really was supposed to be just a simple one shot and I'm actually surprised this story has reached this number of chapters. I swear that****,**** when I first started writing this thing, I thought this fic would have 3 or 4 chapters at best****.**

**I was planning on writing about Lucina talking to Peach in this chapter, but I'd rather focus their encounter on the next one. I have the feeling I don't have much to work with Samus and Palutena, since they are already pretty stable. **

**So next chapter will be all about Lucina. You're welcome, people who read this fic just because you like seeing this poor girl thrown into a turmoil of emotions. The next chapter is dedicated to you. **

**Thanks again for sticking around and for leaving all these wonderful reviews! I'm really glad that you guys like this attempt of mine at writing fluff!**


	7. Chapter 7

Life was a funny little thing. At least, for anyone that wasn't Lucina, who had the sense of humor equivalent of a peanut. How ironic was that, right when she decided to take up an attitude and finally give Peach an answer, said princess was nowhere to be found? It seemed like she had searched that entire mansion up and down, but she saw no sign of her. Sure, finding just about anyone inside that place wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, considering how huge and crowded the Smash mansion was to begin with. Top it all with the fact that Lucina really didn't consider the option of asking about the princess' whereabouts to anyone, and it was no wonder why she was having difficulties.

She went to check the foyer a second, just in case Peach suddenly decided to show up there, when she found the Hero King Marth talking to Ike there. The two seemed to be just chatting idly and hardly noticed the presence of the future princess of Ylisse, which was great for her, because she honestly couldn't face the Radiant Hero of Legend at the moment. Not after such a disastrous defeat they had because of her poor performance in today's battle.

Lucina turned on her heels and prepared to make a quiet and swift exit, but it was too late for her because Marth had just noticed his descendant with her back to them. "Lucina, hello there!" he greeted amiably

"Oh, Hero Ki- Marth!" she corrected herself. Sometimes it felt very surreal to have to drop formalities when around her ancestor. But who could blame her for having the habit of being very respectful around Marth, when said swordsman was a living legend from the time she came from?

"Hey, Lucina," Ike said with a wave of hand, which Lucina answered with a nod of her head. "You feeling better?"

"Feeling better?"

"You seemed pretty distracted and nervous before," the muscular swordsman simply said. "I was worried something happened."

"It is nothing you should be worried," Lucina replied nervously. "But thank you for your concern."

"If you say so."

"Have… any of you two seen Princess Peach around?" she asked.

Lucina slightly cocked her head to the side as she saw Marth let out an irritated groan at the mention of the princess' name. What did she say? Apparently, she wasn't the only one confused, because Ike also gave the young king a questioning look.

"I don't know," he said with crossed arms. "Have you tried the garden? Or the kitchen? When she's not baking sweets, she's checking her turnip plantation."

"Or just goofing around with Mario or Luigi at the city," Ike shrugged.

"I do hope that's not the case now," Lucina mumbled.

"Did you have a fight with her again, Marth?" Ike asked.

"It wasn't a fight, per say," Marth sighed. "It was more of a disagreement than anything. Seriously, Peach can be such an inconvenience sometimes."

"What happened between you two?" now Lucina really wanted to know what happened between them. It wasn't always that she saw the Hero King this annoyed.

"We were just talking about the rumors of Samus and Palutena being a couple and I said that I didn't find their relationship normal," the blue-haired swordsman said bluntly. "And all of a sudden she got offended, acting as if I had just said the worst thing ever."

"O-Oh… that is very unfortunate…" Lucina shifted her weight from one foot to another awkwardly. She could feel a very cold, nervous sensation building up in her chest and running down to her stomach. "And… you don't think their relationship is normal at all?"

"Lucina, let's face it, there is nothing normal about two women being together. Men and women exist for a reason. Every other type of relationship is an aberration."

"O-Of course," her voice was barely a whisper at that point.

"I wonder _why _she got offended!" Ike blurted out sarcastically.

"Come on now, Ike, you know what I meant," Marth said, returning the other's glare. "This is just what I think. They can do whatever they want with their lives."

"At least keep this opinion to yourself!" the mercenary snarled. "No one here wants to know how much of an aberration you think same sex couples are."

"Lucina made a question and I just answered," he said dryly. "Right, Lucina?"

But Lucina was nowhere in their sight at that point. In the midst of their arguing, it appeared that the swordswoman had left without uttering a single word. The two legendary heroes looked confused at the spot where she stood before, not quite understanding what would make her leave just like that. "Now that's awkward," Ike commented.

"She probably went after Peach," Marth suggested with a shrug of shoulders.

"Why do you think she wanted to talk to her?"

"I don't know. Despite her being my descendant, I really don't know much about what is going on in her life."

The two blue-haired men got silent for a moment, completely forgetting about what they were talking about before Lucina appeared. Truth be told, Ike was still very resentful about what Marth had just said and apparently it showed a lot on his face, since he heard Marth muttering "sorry" under his breath.

Sometimes he wondered why he still talked to him.

Actually, he knew, but he really didn't like the answer to that question.

Meanwhile, Lucina just went on her way, her walking getting heavier and heavier with each step given and her shoulders gradually getting as stiff as stone. How she wished she hasn't stopped by to talk to Marth. How she wished she didn't still wanted to see Peach. What would the Hero king say if he ever found out what Peach had just suggested her? How would he react if he saw that Lucina would go for it?

He would look down on her. That thought alone made her guts twist in a way that made her just want to quit everything and just continue her life as if nothing was happening. She still couldn't leave Peach hanging, though.

On her way to the garden, she passed by both Robins, who seemed to be having problems of their own that Lucina quite honestly didn't have time to try to help them get over with.

"Lucina, wait!" Robin called out as she continued to hold on to her male counterpart's coat sleeve. "Rob here has something to tell you!"

"Robin, not now," the swordswoman replied hastily.

Before any of the two tacticians could do anything, Lucina has already left. Not that they would have any chances of keeping up with her, because Rob slowed the two of them down with his attempts of trying to get rid of his counterpart's grip on his clothes.

"Robin, let go."

"Look what you've done!" Robin complained as she finally let go of him. "She's gone now."

"I'm sure I will get another opportunity to talk to her," he said, shooting daggers with his eyes at Robin. "Why are you so interested in me confessing to Lucina?"

"I thought we have already discussed this."

"And I think there's something more to your motivations other than being nice and letting me confess to her first," Rob said. "You seem more worked up about this situation than me, and I'm the one that might actually lose Lucina to Peach."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Robin denied, not so convincingly.

"It's true."

"No, it isn't."

"Robin, I don't know what happened between you and the Lucina from your reality," the white haired male said cautiously. "But are you sure you're not doing this just because you're projecting yourself in me?"

Rob could see that he was getting onto something, or else Robin's wouldn't be turning so red at the moment. If that blush was from embarrassment or fury, Rob couldn't tell, but it was still a sign anyway. "Robin, just be sincere with me," he said putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you really that afraid of Lucina rejecting you, to the point that you need me to live your fantasy for you?"

That last statement was the breaking point for the white haired girl, who violently shook the other's hand off from her shoulder. "Rob, just go confess to Lucina already," she retorted angrily.

"I'm not in a hurry. I can wait until you answer me."

"You're impossible!"

"I can say the same for you."

"How come we are the same person?"

"You can say that again."

"Ugh…" she grunted as she buried her face on his shoulder, earning from him a pat in the head in return.

"I guess we both are at loss at what to do," he mumbled as he continued that comforting gesture.

* * *

><p>"Peach, I think I cannot accept your offer," Lucina suddenly announced.<p>

The princess almost dropped the cup of tea she held in her hand from the announcement and looked behind her, only to find a very awkward Lucina standing behind her with her arms folded. Peach was indeed in the garden, the only place Lucina had failed to check, having her weekly cup of tea with Luigi, who also looked at the princess of Ylisse in confusion. The two were just having a casual conversation about how Toadsworth was getting kind of old and cranky, completely away from the reality of smash, so it took a couple of seconds until Peach realized what Lucina was referring to when she said "offer".

"I-Is that so?" she stuttered while switching nervous glances between Lucina and Luigi.

"Princess Peach? Is everything okay?" Luigi asked in concern.

"Oh, Luigi, you are here," Lucina commented. "I am very sorry. I didn't notice you there."

"It's okay. I'm already used to this…" the sincerity in his voice made Lucina's heart feel heavier.

"Hmm… Luigi, dear, can you please give us some space, please?" the Mushroom Kingdom princess asked. "There is something Lucina and I need to discuss alone."

Luigi eyed the two royals suspiciously, but did what he was asked. By Peach's nervous glance, it seemed like the discussion was about to get serious and the last thing he wanted was to get in the middle of an argument he knew he would add nothing to it. Once he left, Lucina took his seat, all while avoiding eye contact with Peach.

"So…" Peach started.

"Ahem, yes."

"I hope you do realize that I didn't offer anything," the princess mentioned awkwardly.

"But you did offer me help with…"

"Lucina, I was flirting with you," she sighed.

"I know. It's just that seeing this as just you being kind to me feels less wrong," Lucina fidgeted her fingers nervously. She could feel the palms of her hand getting pretty sweaty.

"Less wrong?" the blonde tilted her head. "Why would this feel wrong?"

"Because… men and women exist for a reason," Lucina decided to repeat her ancestor's words, not really finding any other argument.

"Oh, well, alright. If you feel this way, I can't force you to do anything," Peach said resting her chin on her hand. "I'm just confused about why you suddenly think like this. You seemed to be pretty open before."

"That was before talking to the Hero King."

Lucina was taken aback by Peach sudden shift in attitude. The once laidback princess had now her fists shut tight and had her teeth gritted, as if all sorts of terrible images about the Hero King were passing through her mind. Lucina couldn't recall seeing Peach this angry before.

"That bigoted… thick-headed… gah!" she continued to cuss him under her breath, the worst insults were being thrown in a whisper so low that Lucina couldn't quite catch on what else she was saying.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, but you really shouldn't be listening to Marth," Peach said once she calmed down. "He may be a wise and good leader, but he isn't exactly the most accepting person in the world when it comes to people who… deviate from what he considers normal. Not everything he says is right, you know?"

"I just… don't want him thinking I'm disgusting," Lucina mumbled.

"There is nothing disgusting in wanting to sort out what you want for yourself," Peach gave a sympathetic smile. "Besides, since when does Marth need to know? You're not obligated to tell him everything about your life, right?"

"I suppose he doesn't."

"Lucina, just be sincere with me," she said with her hands rested on her lap. "Do you want to kiss me? Like I said before, I am not going to force you to do anything, so it's really all up to you."

The blue-haired girl's silence was already a good answer to Peach's question. It was really a shame, but what could she do in a situation like that? Despite her rather selfish motivations, the Mushroom Kingdom princess did also want to help Lucina sort her feelings out.

"I want it…"

Peach shouldn't be grinning this much at the moment, but hey, she was just bones and flesh.

"Really?"

"Um, yes," she rubbed the back of her neck, still not wanting to look her in the eye. "But can we keep this a secret? Please?"

"Of course!"

Lucina took a deep breath as she saw Peach moving from one chair to another in order to get closer to her. Her eyes scanned her surroundings to make sure nobody would see the two of them so close to each other. Luckily, the garden was completely empty due to very few Smashers wanting to spend time there. Also, because the table had a big open parasol in the middle, the view to anyone who suddenly decided to check up on the garden from a window above in the mansion was blocked. So maybe she was safe, after all.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let Peach take the lead, as she was too nervous to even lean forward for a bit. She could feel the other's lips gently pressing on hers and, for a moment, it felt like the world around her had just stopped. They felt sweet and soft, there was no doubt about it, but there was something inside of her that just stopped her from going in any further. Was it nervousness? Perhaps. Or maybe it was something else entirely, Lucina was not sure. Despite how good that kiss felt, something in it still missed.

Apparently, Peach had also noticed that, because no more than a few seconds later she broke their kiss apart, bringing Lucina back to reality just as quickly as she made her leave.

"You don't want to do this at all," she simply said with a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Deep down she really did want to go on with that kiss, but she would get nothing with Lucina not corresponding to it.

"I-I'm sorry," she replied.

"Eh, don't be. At least, now you know," Peach fidgeted her fingers. "So… how did it feel?"

"It felt nice, actually. Much nicer than I would have imagined," Lucina commented with a tinge on relief in her voice.

"Did it feel better than kissing a guy, or…?"

"Actually, I wouldn't know," the swordswoman said blushing. "I have never kissed anyone before."

"Wait! Your first kiss was with me?!"

"Yes."

Peach shouldn't be feeling so great and powerful, but hey, she was just flesh and bones. So her feelings might not be reciprocated by the cute swordswoman, but that was alright. Knowing that she was Lucina's first kiss really did lift her spirits up a lot. Peach's ego at the moment seemed to have gone to the moon and refused to come back.

Oh, how would she brag about this to Captain Falcon if she didn't promise to keep it a secret. What an amazing sensation!

"But, I don't know, something is still missing. I can't understand what it is," Lucina continued, completely oblivious to the other's sense of accomplishment.

"I think I know what it is," Peach said once her mind started get back to reality.

"Oh, and what would that be?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Lucina, I know this is out of nowhere, especially after all of this that just happened," the Mushroom Kingdom princess said. "But do you have a crush on anyone here in the mansion?"

Lucina hesitated for a couple of seconds, earning a sly grin from the blonde.

"A crush, uh? Well, there is this person," she started awkwardly. "I-I'm not sure if it counts as a crush, though."

"Do you like being in this person's company?"

"That doesn't say much. I like being in your company too and I don't have a crush on you."

"You're very sweet, despite that last part being totally unnecessary," Peach said.

"Anyway, yes, I like their company a lot," she said. "And, okay, I do find them really attractive."

"_Them?_" Peach thought.

"But I'm still not sure how to approach them regarding, erm, romance," Lucina looked down. "I don't want to make things awkward between us, you know?"

"You never talked about the possibility of you two being together before? Not even dropped a hint that you like them?"

"Never really thought about that, no."

There was an awkward silence between the two princesses.

"Lucina, just go talk to Robin already," Peach said in a deadpan voice.

"How did you…?"

"Just go talk to Robin."

* * *

><p>Lucina was very grateful for that particular day not having any more matches. She has been walking around the mansion for so long that she felt her feet almost turning into dust. Talking to Peach really did take a huge weight from her consciousness, though. Granted, not enough to make her want to look the Hero King in the face for the next couple of months, but she somehow felt at peace with herself and a little more secure about her feelings.<p>

Now what she would do about these feelings was a different story. She had them sorted out alright… and that was exactly the issue.

She needed to rest.

Lucina slumped over the couch of the foyer, grateful that it was now vacant and that there was no one in sight. She still wondered how Peach guessed right off the bat that she had a crush on Robin. Maybe the princess was a lot more insightful than anyone in the mansion gave credit for. It was either this, or she was really good at making right guesses.

"Lucina!"

Speak of the devil.

"Hey there you two," she replied tiredly, turning her head to the two magicians that stood side by side.

It took them a good couple of seconds before Rob decided to say something. "A-Are you alright? You sound tired," he asked.

"A little," she said while sitting up properly. "So, why are you here?"

"I guess we could talk another time, then."

"No, no, no!" Robin interjected, giving a strong push to her counterpart's back. "We have discussed this. Say it, now."

"Okay…" he took a deep breath. "Lucina, Robin and I like you."

"Uh?"

"You were not supposed to include me in this declaration!"

"It was only fair."

"Rob, do you like to sabotage yourself?" the white-haired girl asked, almost pulling her pigtails out. "Do you have some sort of self-destructive personality? Because this was your chance at declaring to Lucina and you blew it!"

"Robin…"

"I just didn't think it was okay for you to pressure me into confessing my feelings for Lucina alone," Rob replied equally irritated. "You want to be with her as much as I want to."

"Rob…"

"No, because I know that she'd rather be with you!"

"H-Hey, both of you…"

"So you were planning on projecting yourself in me, in the end."

"Would you two just listen to me?"

"No, I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would!"

"ENOUGH!"

The two tacticians stopped their bickering instantly and turned their attention to the girl they have been fighting for in question. They expected to find her completely furious at the complete clusterfuck that their love confession (if that could even be called that) was. To their surprise, however, they saw her giving them the most heart-warming smile they have ever seen coming from her.

"You two are impossible, you know that?" she asked getting up from the couch.

"We know," the two answered in unison.

"I… like you too."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, you guys all saw that coming, Lucina didn't end up with Peach. I'm not telling which Robin she ended up choosing yet, but I'm not sure if the answer is obvious, so I wanna know what you guys think: who Lucina will end up with?<strong>

"**But Mah, what about Mario's reaction to this whole situation? Doesn't he love Peach?"**

**I'm glad you made this question, person I just made up to ask this question for other people. The answer is: no, he doesn't. It's been a while since I've stopped shipping MarioxPeach. Mario is dating Pauline, instead. I like to think that Peach has this really special and platonic bond with Mario (and Luigi, as well) and I really wanted to explain this in this story, but I couldn't find the opportunity to include this bit of information there. So I'm just writing this in the author notes.**

**Anyway, thanks a lot for reading! And I'll see you on the next and last chapter!**

**P.S: to the Anonymous review who said Peach chose to be a lesbian, I just wanted to correct you by saying that no one chooses their orientation. Also, because I like to think that she is actually bisexual. And I also would love to discuss the double standard of people (seemingly) being more accepting towards lesbians than gay men, but this is not what I intend to do in the author notes. PM me if you'd like to talk more, though. I really like discussing this subject with people.**


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